LoliRock: Wrath of Krosynis
by SuperHeroTimeFan
Summary: A threat from the lost history of Ephedia with plans for both Earth and Ephedia. As Iris, Talia and Auriana, with Lyna and Carissa, prepare for their biggest concert, trust is put to the test, with Iris growing more powerful. Will a secret destroy LoliRock? Who is the Prince? The life of LoliRock is on the line as the secret of Ephedia reveals itself. Rated PG.


Hello, everyone! You all having a good time? Hope so. This is **SuperHeroTimeFan** , the author of many Stories, and I am here with the debut of my new Movie Chapter for **LoliRock**. Told you I would be back with more **LoliRock** Stories. I have worked on this Story for a long time, have had much time to think about how it will play out, and have spent a long time making sure this was perfect. Now, be sure to sit back, read in a well-lit room, and scroll through as I present my feature presentation! Please review, rate, and as always, please be sure to enjoy!

* * *

 _Iris ran in front of Talia, an arrow stuck in her foot. She pushed Talia out of the way, only to get an arrow shot at her, straight through her pendant as she was sent flying back, reverting out of her Princess Form and back into her Human Form_.

" _This probably isn't how you thought you'd see LoliRock. I die, a new kingdom rises, and the greatest enemy of Ephedia comes to claim Earth in our name… and all this is my fault. I was greedy, power-hungry… and too devoted to Ephedia. I betrayed Earth, the place of my memories. But it actually doesn't end there_."

 _Iris was sent into the wall of the Smoothie Bar, where Nathaniel saw her crash. Her arms were spread out as her body lay against the wall_.

" _This all probably doesn't make sense… so let's go back. Not a week ago, where this happened… but to the distant past… where the man who orchestrated our greatest adventure was born_ …"

* * *

 _ **Seventy Years Ago**_ …

Across the kingdom of Ephedia, blasts flew through the air. Near the royal palace, guards and warriors from other kingdoms raced towards the gate, being blasted away by gold magic. Two Soldiers from Borealis flew in and tried to attack, but a silver-colored Borealean flew at them and knocked them out of the air with what appeared to be demonic wings on his back.

A dark-blue Xerin blasted through a barrage of Calixian warriors, bringing them all down before a black-colored Voltan formed a shield, protecting herself before the shield turned into a dragon, devouring several other Ephedian Soldiers.

Ruby Red Crystal Magic penetrated the defense of several other Voltans, blowing them away before the same gold magic from before blasted through the guards. The four followers stepped aside as an Ephedian with Gold Hair, a gold robe, blue eyes and a star on his belt and eyes walked through.

"Morgaine, we are out of options!" the King of Ephedia exclaimed as the great sorceress, Morgaine, stood with the queen.

"I cannot kill him, your Highness!" Morgaine pleaded. "He is your blood!"

"He has turned against the crown!" the King of Ephedia yelled. "He might be my Son, but I do not see any other way!"

"Do not kill him, Morgaine," the Queen of Ephedia said before the doors suddenly started to glow. "I feel there may still be hope for Krosynis."

Morgaine nodded. "There might be a way," she said. "But I will need the Oracle Gems."

All of a sudden, the door burst down. The golden-haired boy, Krosynis, made his way in, with his followers right behind him.

"Krosynis," the King said, sitting up from the throne and unsheathing his sword from thin air. "How dare you…"

"Spare me, Father," Krosynis said as his followers held out their hands, letting their Magic Circles appear. "You and Mother know what I want."

"You will never get it!" Morgaine called out, flying forth with all of the Oracle Gems decorated along her arms. "Your reign ends here!"

"Morgaine, you know you can't kill me," Krosynis said. "We both know that I'm strong enough to defeat you."

"I am not going to kill you," Morgaine said as she held out her arm, her whole body glowing. "You will be forgotten through time. By the Power of Ephedia and all of its Kingdoms, you will never cause harm again!"

Krosynis gasped as he looked to Morgaine. "The Oracle Gems!" he exclaimed. He unsheathed a sword and aimed it towards her. "Grab the Gems!" he ordered his followers.

"Truncolus!" the dark-red magician called out.

"Crystal Oblitero!" the Xerin called out.

"Crystal Colodium!" the Voltan called out.

"Crystal Ferno!" the Borealean incanted.

Morgaine closed her eyes and clenched her fist. Behind her, the colors of the different Oracle Gems glowed. A blast came out from her fist, sending the four followers flying while Krosynis sent back his own blast. However, not even his own magic was enough for the great Morgaine, and he was engulfed in the Crystal Attack.

Morgaine opened her eyes again, seeing the four followers unconscious and no longer glowing. In front of them was Krosynis, frozen in midair with his eyes closed. His clenched fists went undone, and soon, he lost all feeling in his body.

"Is it done?" the King of Ephedia asked.

"His Shanila has kept him alive, but barely," Morgaine explained. "By the power of the Oracle Gems and all of Ephedia, he is frozen in this state. He can never be released," she said. "Not even the strongest magic can undo this Spell."

The four followers got up. The red magician looked to his body, clenching his fist. He tried to blast Krosynis free, but nothing came out. The rest of the followers looked to themselves with confusion and shock.

"What has happened?!" the silver Borealean exclaimed.

"Your powers have been stripped, trapped with Krosynis," Morgaine explained as the guards came in and arrested them. "For assisting in the coup against the Throne, you will be locked away forever."

"And your powers will never return to you as punishment for this deed," The King of Ephedia added on. He turned to the Guards. "Captain Ellira, take them away."

"It shall be done," Ellira said before she looked to all Prisoners, holding her hand out. "Crystal Captus!" she called out, restraining the fallen followers before she and the rest of the Guards took them away.

"I blame myself for Krosynis's corruption," Morgaine said. "It was too soon for me to reveal the strongest of magic to him," she said. "My act is part of his. I must share the punishment."

"You are a great sorceress, Morgaine," the Queen of Ephedia said. "You were unaware that this would happen. The fault is not yours to share."

"Thank you, your Highness," Morgaine said with a bow. "But the events that have unfolded here have proven that my knowledge is too great for anyone," she said. "I will place myself in solitude, away from others, until the Week of Wisdom of every year to those who seek my assistance," she said as her body glowed. The King and Queen watched as he floated into the air. "Until Ephedia needs my help again, my solitude awaits me," she said. "It has been an honor, your Majesties." She said with one last bow before disappearing.

The Queen looked up and wiped away a tear. "She will be back, Tanya," the King said. "But in the meantime, Krosynis must be hidden away. If anyone, even the practitioners of Black Crystal Magic, were to find him, there would be war on Ephedia again," he said. He held out his hand to Krosynis, causing the wall to open up. "Forgive me, my Son." He said before placing Krosynis in the wall. It closed after, and the Oracle Gems flew back to the crown.

Within the wall, Krosynis's eyes glowed. The royal symbol of Ephedia glowed in his eyes. As it did, he used his last remaining energy to let out an blood-curdling laugh.

* * *

 **Kazumi Evans**

 **Ashleigh Ball**

 **Tabitha St. Germain**

 **Kelly Sheridan**

 **Vincent Tong**

 **And starring…**

 **Wentworth Miller as Krosynis**

 **ZODIAK KIDS PRESENTS…**

 **LOLIROCK: WRATH OF KROSYNIS**

* * *

 _ **Present**_ …

In the Present, the new Princess of Ephedia, Iris, ran out of the dark palace of Gramorr with the two Princesses of Xeris, Talia and Izira, the Princess of Volta, Auriana, the Princess of Calix, Carissa, and the Princess of Borealis, Lyna. As soon as the Crown left the Palace, the wall started to move.

" _What is this?_ " a voice asked from the wall as Gramorr walked back to the throne, still laughing at the fact that the Princesses were forced to spare him. " _The Power of Ephedia… it rises_ …" he said. He let out a chuckle. " _Excellent_."

Outside, Iris gathered with her friends, still wearing the Crown of Ephedia, incomplete without all of its Oracle Gems.

"You guys ready to go home?" Iris asked. "I mean, to Earth."

"Home isn't just one place." Talia said.

"It's wherever we're together."

Iris smiled.

"It's so…" Lyna started out, unable to conceal her excitement. "Sweet!" she squealed, placing her hands on her cheeks.

"Alright," Izira said. "Let's open up a portal," she said to Lyna and Carissa. She held out her hand and incanted, "Crystal Volo!"

At that moment, a portal from Ephedia opened up, revealing Earth.

Iris smiled. All of a sudden, the Crown disappeared on her head, causing her to gasp as she regained her pink hairpiece.

Inside of the Palace, Gramorr looked with surprise as the Crown returned to the center of the Throne Room.

At that moment, the wall burst down, and Krosynis came out. He let out a cackle as he looked up to the sun.

"Yes…" Krosynis said. "The Crown has been removed, and has found its way home. After all these years…" he started out before his eyes glowed gold and blue. "I'm free."

Banes noticed Krosynis and leapt down to intercept him as he made his way out. Krosynis just stared down the panther, causing him to calm down.

"Banes?" Gramorr asked. "Where are you?"

"So your name is Banes now?" Krosynis asked. He patted Banes on the head. "Considering what you were before, you're fortunate I'm not your Master anymore." He said before walking away, disappearing in a golden cloud.

In the cells, Krosynis walked around. He looked to all of the different cells before noticing a wall of remembrance, showing the faces of his followers.

" _Krosynis_ …" a voice called out eerily. " _Help us_."

"My Followers…" Krosynis said. "Don't worry," he said, siphoning their remaining energy, forming four Spell Books in his hands. "My plan is still in motion. As I promised, you all still have a place in it." He said before walking away.

Outside, Izira watched as Lyna and Carissa followed Talia, Iris and Auriana through the portal. She was about to close it until she suddenly froze in place. Her face was in shock as Krosynis walked by her.

"Keep the door open," Krosynis said. "It's time for me to visit my old domain." He said before walking through the portal. As soon as he was on Earth, he snapped his fingers, causing Izira to return to normal and the portal to close.

Krosynis came out from the portal, looking to the City of Sunny Bay all around him. Everywhere he looked, people were frozen in Black Crystal.

"This is new," Krosynis said. He looked into the air as two floating twins were blasted away. As soon as they were gone, a large Black Crystal Monster behind them was destroyed by the same blast. "Hmm…"

" _ **CRYSTAL SOLVENDA!**_ " the voice of five girls called out.

Krosynis looked around, seeing everyone get freed from the Black Crystal. He noticed five girls, obviously from Ephedia, look around. Not wanting to get noticed, he held his hand out. "Crystal Caveatis." He incanted softly, hiding himself from all eyes.

"We'd better get going," Iris said to the girls. "We have a Concert coming up, and the first thing we need is everyone noticing LoliRock dressed as Princesses."

Krosynis walked up to the girls and looked to them.

" _Xeris_ ," Krosynis said as he looked to Talia. " _Volta_ ," he noted as he looked to Auriana. He turned his attention to Lyna and Carissa. " _Calix and Borealis_ ," he went on before taking notice of the magic symbols on Iris. " _Ephedia?_ " he asked in a shocked tone.

"Let's get you two in style with Earth," Auriana said as her Princess Dress went away, revealing normal clothes and red hair. "I have just the things for you at home!"

Iris and Talia chuckled, reverting to human as well. Krosynis watched as they were now blonde and brunette respectively.

"Come on!" Iris said. "We need to hurry before you catch our Concert!"

"What's a concert?" Carissa asked.

"You'll see." Talia said as the girls brought Lyna and Carissa to their house.

As soon as the streets were cleared, Krosynis came out of hiding. He continued to watch the Princesses walk away before Lyna looked to her hair. It was now shorter and was black instead of green.

"What happened to my hair?" Lyna asked.

"Mine too!" Carissa exclaimed as her purple hair had now turned to orange.

"It happens when we're on Earth," Talia explained as Krosynis noticed his hair turn blonde. "Ephedian magic dims down here, so our hair turns to Earth's natural colors."

"Interesting," Krosynis said. "Earth certainly has changed ever since I was here last," he mused. He walked away towards a bar. "Time to see what I've missed out on."

Inside of the bar, Krosynis looked around. The place was empty, save for a girl with black hair and green eyes, who was asleep. He eyed her carefully before walking towards the television. He flicked his wrist, and it turned on. He placed his hand on it and closed his eyes.

Suddenly, the girl woke up. "What?" she asked as she looked around. She suddenly saw Krosynis and remained silent.

Everything about Earth entered Krosynis's mind. He could see everything, the World Wars, the Great Depression, the Salem Witch trials, and even, strangely enough, the Princesses he saw earlier.

"Iris, Talia and Auriana," Krosynis said to himself. "LoliRock…"

"You're one of their fans?" the girl asked.

Krosynis turned around, his hair turning to a natural Earth color. "Call me an admirer," he said. He noticed the girl's envious expression on her face. "And I take it you're not?"

"Iris thinks she's so good, singing on that stage," the girl said. "Before she became the lead singer of LoliRock, I was better than her in every way," she remarked before letting out a scoff. "Just think. Missy Robins, the girl who is better than Iris, no matter _how_ famous she is."

Krosynis chuckled. He walked up to Missy and cupped his hand on her chin. "Aren't you the feisty one?" he mused. "I used to know someone like you. She had a fire… but she was never good enough for me."

"What are you doing?" Missy asked.

"I see it in your eyes," Krosynis said. "You desire to be something greater… like me."

Missy scoffed and released herself from Krosynis's hold. "Who _are_ you?" she asked, feeling surprised and exposed by him.

"You don't need to know my name," Krosynis said. "Just know that we're on the same page." He said before walking away, leaving gold glittering behind.

Missy looked to Krosynis as he walked out. As soon as he went out the door, he seemed to vanish in midair.

That night, Krosynis used the information he gained to locate the LoliRock Girls. He found them at a theatre. He hid himself in the crowd, seeing Lyna and Carissa in disguise, arguing with each other.

" _Hello, everybody!_ " Iris called out, causing the crowd to cheer. " _We are LoliRock!_ "

"This should be good…" Krosynis said as he hid himself in the crowd as Talia and Auriana appeared alongside Iris. They started to sing one of their songs, _We Are Magic_.

"~ _You tell me I'm out of sight_

 _You give me butterflies_

 _I'm hanging on every word you say_

 _You always make my day_

 _My heart is like a bass drum_

 _When I see you, I skip a beat_

 _The way I feel's so awesome_

 _'Cause you keep smiling back at me_ ~"

Krosynis's eyes widened as the girls started to use magic in their performance.

"This is what LoliRock does with their magic?" Krosynis asked. "Use magic tricks?"

"~ _Moving faster than the speed of light_

' _You and I_ ' _feels so right_

 _Glitter rains everywhere we go_

 _You rock my world in the moonlight_

 _Spread the magic_

 _You and I, we are magic_

 _Spread the magic_ ~"

Krosynis continued to watch, even tapping his foot to the beat of the song. He suddenly noticed someone watching the performance from the top of the theater before he walked away. Krosynis took his focus away from him before looking straight up at Iris as the performance came to a close. The Stars of Ephedia glowed in his eyes, and as it did, so did Iris's heart-shaped pendant.

"Thank you all!" Iris called out as everyone cheered. Talia and Auriana came up and waved before noticing Iris's pendant glow. "Good night from LoliRock!"

"Iris, your pendant!" Talia whispered.

Iris looked down to her pendant and gasped. She looked to the crowd and waved before they went off the stage.

Krosynis grinned and walked away, not drawing any attention to himself as he made his way outside.

In the dressing rooms, Talia and Auriana, with Lyna and Carissa as they joined them, looked to Iris's pendant.

"Why's it glowing like that?" Iris asked. She suddenly noticed there was a blue and gold glow to it. "And what's with the color?"

"I don't know," Auriana said. She looked to her Ring and noticed that it was not glowing. "It's not happening with me."

"Me neither," Talia said as she looked to her bracelet. "Something's not right."

"In any case, we'd better get home," Iris said. "Lyna and Carissa don't have a place to stay yet, so we'll have to make sure Aunt Ellen has enough rooms for them."

"I hope we're not too much of a bother." Lyna said.

"Well, Izira _did_ say for you two to do everything we asked," Talia said. "As long as you don't cause any trouble like you did back on Ephedia, I think you're safe."

"Thanks," Carissa said. "We won't let you down!"

Iris smiled. All of a sudden, there was a knock on the door. "Come in!" she called out.

The door opened, and in came a man who was in his thirties. He had denim jeans, a black shirt, red hair and pale skin. He was holding an envelope in his hands.

"I hope I'm not coming in at a bad time." The man said.

Amaru leapt out of Carissa's arms and ran towards the man, who petted him softly.

"No, we're good," Iris said. "Who are you?"

"My name is Ty Taylor," the man said, holding out his hand to Iris, who shook it respectfully. "I'm with the _Forever Dreaming_ Business. We find small bands to perform on television for the World to see," he explained. "I worked with Simon Cowell on _American Idol_ , and though he couldn't make it here, he agrees that your kind of music is what we need to help spread your popularity."

"Ooh, sounds exciting," Auriana said as she picked up Amaru. "Will we have to leave Sunny Bay for this?"

"No, we have a crew coming here in two weeks," Ty explained. "They'll film you girl for the big event, and I just wanted to get your approval to perform for us."

"Are you kidding?" Iris nearly yelled. "This is huge! It could change LoliRock forever! Of _course_ we'll do it!"

"Great!" Ty exclaimed happily. "This is going to be broadcast to every country in the World, so… I wish you good luck," he said as he back stepped towards the door. "Good night." He said before walking off.

"I can't believe it!" Talia exclaimed. "We get to perform in front of the whole World!"

"LoliRock will be known everywhere!" Iris exclaimed. "We've _got_ to be at the top of our game for this!"

"We also need to keep practicing our Magic," Talia said. "I'm sure Mephisto and Praxina will try to attack us now that we're back on Earth."

"I'm sure we can balance out both," Iris said. "Besides, aside from that strange thing with my pendant, everything seems to be a green light from hereon out."

"Yay!" Auriana cheered. She looked to Lyna and Carissa. "Can you take Amaru and wait for us outside?" she asked. "We'll be with you once we've dressed up."

"Sure thing," Carissa said as she picked up Amaru. "Come on, Amaru." She said before she and Lyna made their way outside.

Outside, in the air, Krosynis watched as Lyna and Carissa came out. He narrowed his eyes at the two of them before disappearing.

"We get to perform all over the World?!" Auriana exclaimed inside, still excited. "It's almost as great as speaking to all of Volta on the Week of Wisdom!"

"Volta had it easy for them," Talia said. "Xeris, on the other hand, we had a bigger crowd. Gonna be hard to perform in front of millions of viewers."

"Then we should come up with some new songs," Iris suggested as she reached for her shirt. "We have two weeks to come up with some new stuff, so we have to make sure that we're at the top of our game."

"Magic and rehearsals," Talia said. "Two things we can't afford to forget." She reminded everyone as she got out and put on her jacket while straightening out her hair.

"I hear you," Auriana said. "With the five songs we've already performed, we're going to need more to show the World what we're made of!" she exclaimed as she hopped on one foot while putting her left shoe on.

"But as long as we do it together, nothing can stop us!" Iris said as she came out, putting her headband on her hair while tossing it back. "Remember, we're LoliRock, and LoliRock _never_ gives up!"

"That's our sixth song," Talia noted. "But remember the one performance we did it?"

"We still need to come up with new songs," Auriana said. "So let's get home and get a good night's rest to rehearse for tomorrow."

"Right," Iris said before noticing her pendant glow. "Again!" she whispered to herself. "What's happening?"

Back on Ephedia, Gramorr was walking around the Palace. As he looked to the Crown of Ephedia, he noticed something in the corner. He walked over to it and saw that the wall had given away, as if it were destroyed from the inside.

"Strange," Gramorr said as Banes came over. "Was something hidden here… or someone?"

At the same time, Izira was in the prison, running around with some fellow Xerins. She looked to the cells.

"Get them out of here!" Izira ordered the Resistance Soldiers. "We're going to need all the help we can get to take back the Throne!"

All of the Resistance Soldier nodded and went to free the Prisoners. Izira suddenly noticed something on the Wall of Remembrance.

"Gold?" Izira asked, noticing some gold crystal on the wall. "Who could have done this?"

On Earth, Iris, Talia and Auriana were with Aunt Ellen, explaining to her about Lyna and Carissa.

"These are two new foreign exchange students," Iris explained as she gestured to Lyna and Carissa, both of whom waved to her. "They'll be staying with us for a while until we can find them their own place."

"I see," Aunt Ellen said before looking to Lyna and Carissa. " **WHAT COUNTRIES ARE YOU FROM?!** " she yelled, almost the same way she did with Talia and Auriana when they first arrived.

"Calix." Carissa answered.

"Borealis." Lyna replied.

"Must be small countries," Aunt Ellen said. "I don't remember studying about them," she mused. "Well, help yourselves to the Guest Room."

"Right," Iris said before leading Lyna and Carissa to the Guest Room. "Come on."

Inside of the Guest Room, Lyna and Carissa found one large bed and one air mattress. There was also a fan on the ceiling, a closet and a mirror next to the window, which showed a fine view of the outside.

"This room hasn't been used in a while, but I think you can make do with it," Iris said as Amaru helped to clear away some dust. She gestured to the Air Mattress. "I'll get some pillows for you since there's only one bed with pillows and a blanket already. Be right back." She said before walking out.

Outside, Krosynis, now with blonde hair, a black T-Shirt and denim jeans, walked over. He looked to Aunt Ellen's House cautiously before placing his hand in front of him, revealing the magical barrier surrounding the House.

"Very considerate, an Ephedian Magical Barrier," Krosynis said to himself. "No wonder these Princesses are so well-organized."

Inside of the House, as Aunt Ellen was putting away some dishes, she noticed Krosynis standing outside. She looked to him carefully before letting out a gasp.

Krosynis turned to see Aunt Ellen before grinning. "I see someone found their place," he said before turning around. "Now… to start my plan where I left off." He said before walking away.

"That couldn't have been him… could it?" Aunt Ellen asked herself. "That was seventy years ago!" she quietly panicked as Iris came over. She took notice of what was going on. "Maybe you're just hallucinating."

"What's wrong, Aunt Ellen?" Iris asked.

"Oh, nothing, Iris," Aunt Ellen replied. "Just some old memories, that's all. Nothing to worry about," she reassured her niece. "You need help with anything?"

"I'm looking for the air mattress," Iris explained. "Do you remember where it is?"

"Oh, it's in my closet," Aunt Ellen said, smiling again. "Come with me. I'll help you get it."

* * *

In the Mountains, Mephisto and Praxina watched as Krosynis touched the Magical Barrier. Both of their eyes widened as the unknown man touched it again before walking away.

"Is that another Ephedian?" Mephisto asked.

"Must be," Praxina remarked, slapping her brother in the back of the head. "Humans don't just interact with the Magical Barrier like that!"

"Should we bring him to Gramorr?" Mephisto asked.

"If he's Ephedian, he'll put up a fight with us," Praxina said as a sinister grin came onto her face. "He can't attack us in the day without exposing himself, so _that's_ when we'll strike."

"Great thinking!" Mephisto complimented. He looked back to Krosynis and placed his hand on his chin. "Something about him seems familiar," he said. "I remember Grandpa mentioned our cousin from seventy years ago disappeared, and he served under some evil Ephedian before Gramorr arrived."

"That was seventy years ago!" Praxina remarked. She let out a growl. " _No one_ from _seventy years_ ago could look _that_ young!"

"Still…" Mephisto said. "I have a strange feeling about that guy."

* * *

The next day, Iris was sleeping in bed. As she turned, her alarm clock sounded off.

Iris woke up and gasped. She pressed her alarm clock and ran to the bathroom.

Talia's alarm clock went off as well. Talia calmly pressed the snooze button on it and exited her room to get dressed.

At the same time, Auriana was still in bed, snoring. As her alarm clock went off, she turned and looked to it.

"Morning already?" Auriana asked. "Let me sleep some more." She said before snoozing it and going back to sleep.

"Gotta get ready for our concert!" Iris exclaimed as she ran past Auriana's room.

"The concert!" Auriana exclaimed, shooting out of bed. "Gotta get ready!"

Talia ran out of her room, throwing her shoes in front of her while she put on her jacket. She jumped onto her shoes, placing her feet in them before running to the bathroom, where Iris was already running in. Talia was about to enter, but Iris slammed the door.

"Hey!" Talia exclaimed. "What the Hell?!"

" _Sorry! Gotta brush!_ " Iris called out. " _Try the one at the end of the hall!_ "

Talia sighed and made her way to the other bathroom. As soon as she entered, Auriana ran right in behind her. The two made their way towards the faucet and grabbed their toothbrushes.

After the Princesses finished brushing, they made their way downstairs, where Lyna and Carissa were waiting for Aunt Ellen to finish making pancakes. The two Princesses turned to the LoliRock girls and looked to them with confusion.

"Busy morning?" Aunt Ellen asked as she flipped some pancakes into the air.

"We need to be at our best for the upcoming Concert," Iris explained. "We need to hand out fliers, rehearse, get new equipment…"

"I see," Aunt Ellen said as she flipped another pancake into the air, unaware that it was about to fall on her. "Do you need anything else?"

Lyna gasped as she saw the pancake fall. "Crystal Levitus!" she incanted quietly, stopping the pancake. She turned to Carissa. "Don't let her see me."

Carissa nodded and turned to the Princesses. "Maybe we should help too," she advised as she patted Aunt Ellen on the shoulder and helped her out of the way of the pancake, letting it fall onto the pan. "Lyna and I know how to get ready for things like these?"

"Thank you, Carissa," Aunt Ellen said as she turned around. Lyna gasped and stopped her spell. "I'll give you two some money so you can buy whatever the girls need."

"Oh, wait!" Iris exclaimed. "I almost forgot!"

"What?" Talia asked.

"I need to let Nathaniel know about the concert!" Iris exclaimed. "I'll head over to the Smoothie Bar and let him know quickly."

"Oh, good!" Auriana exclaimed. "Let's go there later and introduce him to Lyna and Carissa."

"Sure," Lyna said as Amaru walked onto the counter. He picked up some syrup and started to drink it. "What's a smoothie?"

"Delicious drinks," Talia explained as she sat down with Auriana. "You'll like them."

"Yes, you will," Aunt Ellen said as she handed out the pancakes. "Now… where's the maple syrup?"

Talia, Auriana, Lyna and Carissa suddenly heard a burp. They looked to Amaru as he rolled off the table, with a half-empty bottle of syrup landing next to him.

"Oh, Amaru!" Aunt Ellen scolded. "How could you!"

* * *

At this time, Iris was walking towards the Smoothie Bar. She glistened with excitement over the upcoming performance as she could hardly wait to tell Nathaniel all about it. She calmed herself down and entered the Smoothie Bar, the bell ringing once she opened the door.

"Morning, Nathaniel," Iris said as she walked over to the counter as Nathaniel handed a smoothie to a customer with a black shirt with white sleeves, a red skirt and an orange cat hairpiece on her head. "How's business?"

"Business as usual," Nathaniel replied as he wiped his head. "How's it going with the band?"

"Going great!" Iris said cheerfully. "We just got a chance to perform worldwide!"

"That's great!" Nathaniel exclaimed. "This must be big for you!"

"It is," Iris said as the door opened, with Krosynis, in his human disguise, walking in. "We're working to make some new songs to perform."

"Well, you've already come up with six great songs," Nathaniel said. "A couple more can't be _that_ hard."

"Can I have two of your best drinks?" Krosynis asked, getting the attention of Iris and Nathaniel.

"Sure thing," Nathaniel said. "Coming right up."

Iris smiled to the newcomer. "New around here?" she asked. "I don't think I've seen you around Sunny Bay."

"Just passing through," Krosynis said as he turned to Iris. "Name's Christopher. Nice to meet you."

"Iris," Iris introduced herself, holding her hand out to him. "Nice to meet you too."

"Yes," Chris said. He took notice of Iris's pendant. "That's a nice piece of jewelry you have there," he said, causing Iris to look to her own pendant. "Very well-crafted."

"Thanks," Iris said. "I've had this thing ever since I was born."

"Looks familiar," Chris said. "Almost…"

"Antique?" Iris asked. "Yeah, it is."

"I was going to say Ephedian," Chris said, causing Iris's eyes to widen. "But that works too."

"Uh…" Iris started out before letting out a nervous chuckle. "That's it."

"Want to see mine?" Chris asked. Iris looked to him as he took something out of his pocket. Much to her surprise, he revealed a set of golden earrings with the royal star of Ephedia on them.

"Here are your smoothies," Nathaniel said. "Hope I didn't take too long."

"Not at all," Iris said. "Can you keep them here for a while?" she asked as she got up, in which Chris did the same. "There's something I need to talk with Chris here about."

"Um… sure?" Nathaniel replied with uncertainty. "Take your time."

Outside, in an alley nearby, Iris brought Chris over.

"What do you know about Ephedia?" Iris asked. "Who are you?"

"Trust me, you wouldn't believe me even if I told you." Chris replied.

"I'm good at believing in anything crazy," Iris said. "I'm the Princess of Ephedia."

"Princess?" Chris asked. "And here I thought I was the only heir. How wrong I was."

"You're an heir to the Throne of Ephedia?" Iris asked. "Are you with Lev? Do you also work for Gramorr?"

"Who's Gramorr?" Chris asked.

"Oh, how mean!" Mephisto called out, getting Iris and Chris to look up. "How can you be Ephedian and not know who Lord Gramorr is?!"

"Doesn't matter," Praxina said as she and Mephisto landed on the ground. "You'll be meeting him soon enough!"

"Look out!" Iris called out as she held her hand out. "Crystal Colidum!" she incanted, sending several crystals towards Praxina and Mephisto.

"Ateruina!" Mephisto called out, sending forth a Black Crystal Attack.

"Black Crystal Magic?" Chris asked. "As if _that's_ anything new."

"What?" Praxina asked.

" **Iris, Princess of Ephedia!** " Iris called out. A heart came out from her pendant and flew through her, giving her a Magical Dress.

"Telanoc!" Praxina called out, sending a wave of red Black Crystal Magic towards Iris.

"Crystal Rescindente!" Chris called out, nullifying the glow of the Black Crystal attack.

"What?" Iris asked as the Telanoc attack flew right through her. She gasped and looked to herself, surprised that she was unharmed.

"I've never heard of _that_ Spell before," Praxina said. "Who _are_ you?"

Chris held out his hand and summoned a sword hilt. "Crystemsabrus!" he called out, forming a golden blade, with two smaller golden blades from the crossguard.

Praxina laughed and summoned her rapiers before slashing at Chris.

Chris faded away from the attack. Praxina gasped before Iris ran at her.

"Crystempactus!" Iris called out, punching Praxina away.

"Where'd he go?!" Mephisto called out.

"Right here!" Chris called out, floating in front of Mephisto.

"You can fly?!" Iris called out.

"Crystempactus!" Chris called out.

"Enough!" Praxina called out as she emerged. Iris turned to her and stared her down. "No more playing around!"

"Crystemsabrus!" Iris called out.

Chris spun around as Iris charged at Praxina. At the same time, Chris kicked Mephisto to the ground while Iris slashed Praxina into the air, sending the two Twins into each other.

Mephisto and Praxina both groaned as they regained themselves. They looked up to Iris and Chris and snarled.

"Forget this!" Mephisto exclaimed. "It's not worth it!"

"You won't be safe when Gramorr hears of you!" Praxina called out to Chris before the two teleported away.

"Zaterrans," Chris said. "Always ones to port away."

"Okay, who are you?" Iris asked, reverting back to her human form. "How come I've never heard about you?"

"First, how long have you lived on Ephedia?" Chris asked. "If you lived there, you would have known there was a Prince of Ephedia."

Iris narrowed her eyes at Chris. She suddenly heard her phone ringing. "Gotta get back for training," she said as she looked to her phone. "This isn't o—"

Iris was about to address Chris, but when she looked back up, he was gone, out of sight. Nowhere to be seen.

"Who _are_ you?" Iris asked.

Back at the Smoothie Bar, Chris had returned.

"Is everything alright?" Nathaniel asked the disguised Ephedian.

"Just fine," Chris replied. "Iris was just an old friend," he explained as he drank his smoothie. "We were catching up. She told me about her relationship with you. She didn't want to make things seem too… awkward."

Nathaniel laughed. "Don't worry, it's fine," he reassured Chris. "Iris has a lot of friends, some she's helped out," he said. "If you two were friends, I understand."

"Thanks," Chris said before he finished up his smoothie. He moved onto the next one. "Just to ask, does she ever disappear from time to time?"

"Most of the time," Nathaniel replied with a shrug. "But I don't mind. She's busy with LoliRock."

"Yes, the band. I've heard," Chris said. "They're good. Honestly, they are, but things can change, especially between friends."

"I'm sure everything will be alright between us," Nathaniel said. "There's nothing to lose."

"You keep telling yourself that," Chris said as he finished up his smoothie. He put some gold coins down while secretly using his magic to manifest something onto the ground. "Thanks for the drink." He said before walking out.

As Chris was leaving, Iris came back. Nathaniel looked to her as she started to look around for the mysterious Ephedian.

"Hey, Nathaniel," Iris said as she took a seat at the counter. "Did Chris come back here?"

"Yeah, he just left," Nathaniel replied. "Don't worry, I get what's going on between you two."

Iris's eyes widened. "You do?" she asked nervously.

"Seeing an old friend like that, I get the feeling," Nathaniel said, getting Iris to sigh in relief. "You two must have had a lot to catch up on."

"Yeah… something like that," Iris said. "So, back to our concert, I feel like we have good songs already, but maybe me and the band should come up with a few more, something original."

"You need to listen to your heart," Nathaniel advised Iris. "You writing songs is like me trying to come up with a new smoothie."

"Oh?" Iris asked as she took a sip out of her smoothie. "How so?"

"Mr. Allen taught me that doing the same thing with the same process over and over will get me the same result," Nathaniel explained. "I learned to mix things up, try new things," he went on. "The new smoothies I made brought in new customers, and I tried something new all the time. You have to find your own rhythm, your own power."

"And create something that no one has ever seen before," Iris said as she looked into the air with a billion thoughts going through her mind. "Thanks, Nathaniel," she said. "You're a big help."

"No problem," Nathaniel said as Iris went to the door while Gina and Charlie came in. He walked over to get his order until he noticed something on the ground. It was a book. "What's this?" he asked as he picked the book up. "A book?" he asked.

Iris turned back to Nathaniel with confusion. "Huh?" she asked.

Nathaniel looked to the book, trying to find out where it came from. He suddenly saw a star-shaped crystalline design on the front and looked to Iris. "I think this might belong to Talia," he said. "She might have left it in here yesterday since you three didn't come back."

"She did?" Iris asked as Nathaniel walked over. "Can I see?" she asked.

"Sure," Nathaniel said as he handed Iris the book. "She must have put a lock on it, because I can't open it."

"Looks like it just might belong to Talia," Iris said. "I'll be sure to give it to her."

"Tell her I said 'hi'," Nathaniel said. "And that Kyle says 'hi' too."

"Oh, I _will!_ " Iris said in a teasing voice. "I'll be back later with the others!" she said as she walked out.

Nathaniel chuckled. "Good luck, Iris," he said. "You're gonna do great. I _know_ it."

On top of a building ending the alley where he and Iris once were, Krosynis watched as Iris left the Smoothie Bar and went back home.

"You have much to learn," Krosynis said to himself. He walked away and took out five orbs. "Time to restore my Followers," he said before spreading them all out. "Let's make Ephedia great again."

At this time, Iris was already back home. She looked to the book Nathaniel found as she entered the door.

"What kind of book _is_ this, Talia?" Iris asked herself. She looked to the seam and placed her hands on both ends of the covers. "Doesn't _seem_ like it's hard to open. I don't see a key," she said before the book suddenly opened. "Whoa!" she exclaimed as a bright glow came from the book. She turned away as her pendant suddenly started to glow. As it did, a symbol on the book glowed as well. Iris took notice of this and turned back, seeing the glowing stop and the book close. "That was, like… the weirdest thing ever," she said to herself before she made her way down to the library. "Better get a closer look at this thing."

As soon as Iris was inside of the rehearsal room, she held up her hand and let the library appear. Amaru was inside, playing with a ball as Iris sat down to look at the new book.

"What have we got here?" Iris asked as she opened the book again. This time, she closed her eyes. However, there was no glow this time. She opened her eyes again and looked to the book, seeing the royal seal of Ephedia on the inside cover. "An Ephedian Spellbook?" she asked herself. "Why would this be left behind?" she asked as she turned the pages.

Amaru chattered and ran over to Iris, taking a look at the book with curiosity. "Oh… Amaru." He chattered as Iris looked through the book.

"I know," Iris said, looking to the texts. "I'm still new to Ephedian Spell Books, yet I can understand everything this says," she said before seeing a spell. "'Crystal Parasitis'?" she read. "What's this?" she asked before reading about the spell. "'Provides the user power of their choosing. Only works for one hour'," she read. She looked to Amaru and smiled. "This could come in handy!" she exclaimed.

Amaru smiled and nodded.

"Iris?" Talia called out, causing Iris and Amaru to look to each other as Talia, Auriana, Lyna and Carissa came in. "Iris? What are you doing here?"

"Just brushing off on my magic," Iris explained. "I found an interesting spell in this new spellbook."

The four girls looked to each other with confusion before turning back to Iris.

" _What_ spellbook?" Auriana asked. "Isn't that a paper you're holding in your hands?"

"Huh?" Iris asked, turning to the spellbook. Much to her surprise, it was still there, but to her friends, they saw her holding a paper. "It was here a minute ago."

"No matter," Talia said. "We'd better rehearse first. I'm sure we can train later."

"I like this new side of you, Talia!" Auriana said as Talia lowered the library. "We should have days off more often!"

Iris looked back to the book. "Maybe it can only be seen by me," she said before putting it away. "Okay. Let's get started," she said as she walked over. "Let's try _Revolution_ first, and then we can rehearse."

* * *

At her home, Missy Robins was napping in her room. As she turned over in her bed, she suddenly felt something against her chest. She opened her eye and looked to see some sort of blue book with a Xerin Seal on it.

"What is _this?_ " Missy asked herself as she looked to the book. "Why is it here?" she asked. All of a sudden, as she was looking to the book, something started to come over her. She looked to it once again before opening it. As she did, a navy magic rune appeared, placing on Missy's forehead a navy crystal, similar to the one of Xeris.

Krosynis suddenly appeared inside of Missy's room. He walked towards her as she closed the book and turned to him.

"How do you feel, Nyassa?" Krosynis asked. "The body feel right?"

"It's young and human, but I think I can manage," Missy said, though her clothes were now tinted in a hint of dark blue. She looked to her hands before turning back to Krosynis. "Is this part of your plan?"

"Call it Part One," Krosynis replied. "By putting your spirit into the body of this girl, I am helping to save humanity… and preserve the legacy of Ephedia," he stated. "After all, I was here long ago. I think I know how to save Earth from another disaster… once the rest of my Followers have been restored."

"And what about the Princess of Ephedia?" Nyassa asked. "She might be a problem."

"I've already come up with a way for her to be destroyed," Krosynis said. "Once her boyfriend gets a look at the gift I left for him, she will be broken. With her out of the way, her own Followers will be easy to pick off."

"This is your time… Master." Nyassa said with a devious grin on her face.

"We still have work to do," Krosynis said. "Let's not celebrate just yet," he said before outstretching his hand. "Come… and let us start a revolution."

* * *

Back at Aunt Ellen's house, Lyna and Carissa sat with Amaru as they watched Iris, Talia and Auriana rehearse.

"~ _Dance, dance, dance, dance_

 _You'll be energetic_

 _You'll be charismatic_

 _Party on the planet_

 _Dance to the revolution~!_ "

Amaru clapped while Lyna and Carissa got up and cheered.

"Perfect!" Talia exclaimed as she looked to Iris and Auriana with a smile. "We sound perfect!"

"We sure do!" Auriana cheered, nearly hugging Talia, only for the Xerin to stop her. "But we should try to come up with some new songs too."

"We can work on that _after_ some training," Talia said, causing everyone to smile. "For now, we should take a short break."

"Good idea," Iris said. "We can go to the Smoothie Bar and hang out for a while before coming back to train."

"Oh! Amaru!" Amaru chattered.

"Looks like it's unanimous," Talia said. "Smoothie Bar it is."

At the same time, from the top of the tallest building in Sunny Bay, Krosynis and Nyassa overlooked the entire City, seeing everyone go where they needed to go as the day went on.

"So much has changed on this Planet ever since we've last been here," Krosynis said. "I remember when I was here. This Country was in the middle of what was known as the second World War. There was chaos everywhere… and I still sense it here today."

"And is our plan still in motion?" Nyassa asked, flipping her hair as Missy would do had she been in control of the body.

"There's no reason for it not to be," Krosynis replied. "Now, go to the town they call Salem. Find my rune, even after seventy years, its magic has not faded away… I can sense it," he ordered. "Destroy anyone who gets in your way."

"Right away, Krosynis," Nyassa said before she spread her arms out. " **Nyassa, Warmonger of Xeris!** " she called out, transforming into her Ephedian Form.

Nyassa leapt into the air. Her black hair turned navy, and she gained a dark blue battle uniform with a torn magic dress. She lashed her hands out, creating sharp talons on each of her fingers. As soon as she was transformed, she flew into the air towards Salem.

"Now, for the next one." Krosynis said as he walked off the edge of the building. Instead of falling, he started to walk on the side of the building. He grinned and leapt off, landing on a golden star. He flew away, with the star crackling with power as he flew through the skies.

Down below, Iris, Talia, Auriana, Lyna and Carissa all arrived at the Smoothie Bar. Nathaniel was talking with the Goth Girl he was serving before.

"I'm telling you, this is a great book," the girl said. "I don't know why you don't read that much, Nathaniel. You don't know what you're missing out on."

"I'm a bit too busy, Melanie," Nathaniel said as he put a smoothie down on the table in front of her. "I'll be sure to look at the book when I have the time." He said before walking away.

Iris smiled as Nathaniel came over. "Melanie at it again?" she asked.

"You see her in one place, you see her everywhere," Nathaniel joked before taking notice of the rest of the girls. "I recognize some faces…" he said. "Others… not so much."

"Oh, right! I forgot," Iris said as she brought Lyna and Carissa up. "Nathaniel, this is Lyna and Carissa, two new friends of ours from out of town."

"Hi, Nathaniel." Lyna said as she and Amaru waved.

"Nice to meet you." Carissa said.

"I swear, Iris, you bring in all kinds of surprises," Nathaniel said with a chuckle. "So, have you seen Chris at all today?"

"Who's Chris?" Auriana asked.

"He said he was an old friend of Iris's, so he said," Nathaniel explained. "Tell you what, though, he likes LoliRock's music."

"Yeah…" Iris said, thinking back to what Chris said. "An old friend."

"So, what will everyone be having?" Nathaniel asked.

"The usual," Talia said before she saw Iris in deep thought. "We'll be over by the couch if you need us."

"Sure thing, Iris and friends," Nathaniel said. "Coming right up. Just give me a few minutes."

"Same with us," Talia said as she brought everyone to the couch. She looked to Iris, still thinking before she eventually snapped her fingers. "Iris!" she called out.

"Huh? What?" Iris asked as she snapped out of her trance. "Oh, sorry! Coming!" she called out as she ran to join her friends.

"Iris, what's wrong?" Talia asked. "Are you feeling okay?"

"Sort of…" Iris replied. "I don't know."

"So, what's Chris like?" Lyna asked.

"What?" Iris asked.

"We've never heard you mention anyone named Chris, so what's he like?" Auriana asked. "Is he cute?"

Iris looked around to see if anyone was listening. Seeing that they were busy doing their own things, she looked back to her friends. "He's not a friend," she said, putting confused looks on the faces of the Princesses. "He noticed my pendant. He knows about Ephedia."

"What?" Carissa asked.

"He's an Ephedian," Iris went on, putting more surprise on the girls' faces. She turned to Talia. "Talia, was there ever a Prince of Ephedia?"

Talia furrowed her brow. "Not that I know of," she said. "Why do you ask?"

"He had a royal crest," Iris explained. "It wasn't the heart, it was the star… just the star, nothing else."

"I've never heard of a Prince of Ephedia," Auriana said. "I mean, there _was_ one seventy years ago, but he's dead now. Passed away."

"I thought Ephedians live over two-hundred years." Iris said.

"This one was… different." Auriana said.

Amaru walked up to Iris. Iris looked to him and patted him on the head.

"Can you tell me about him?" Iris asked.

Talia nodded. "Seventy years ago, there was a boy, conceived by the early King and Queen of Ephedia," she started to explain. "His name was Krosynis. He learned magic at an early age, and his knowledge grew through his studies. He had four friends, each of them from different kingdoms, like us," she went on. "There was Nyassa, the only navy Xerin, Mahria, the Voltan of black crystal…"

"Like the Twins?" Iris asked.

Talia shook her head. "Not really." She said.

"Mahria's Crystal Magic was black, not orange like me or any other Voltan," Auriana explained. "Like me, she can create powerful shields, but she can make _herself_ a shield too."

"That's possible?" Iris asked.

"Only with Mahria," Carissa corrected. "Her body could turn into Crystal that not even Izira's magic can penetrate."

"Then there was Werner," Lyna went on. "He was a Borealean, just like me," she explained. "He could fly… and he had wings."

"Wings?" Iris asked with an eyebrow raised. "You're serious?"

"Werner was given hard crystal wings that enhanced his flight powers," Lyna explained further on. "He could fly faster than any other Borealean, and he was as deadly in the air as he was on the ground."

"I'm starting to think that this Krosynis guy wasn't that good of a Prince to his people." Iris mused.

"You can say that, but there's one more." Carissa said.

"He had four followers?" Iris asked. "Are they all from the same kingdoms as you?"

"Uh… somewhat," Talia said. "The last one was a Calixian named Kento."

"And unlike the rest of the people of Calix, he was known for being red," Carissa went on. "He was one of the followers who Krosynis put his trust in most."

"Strongest and more aggressive than Carissa, he was like the demon from Hell," Auriana went on. "Bonus point for him being blind and _still_ being able to take down his targets."

"Wow…" Iris said in shock. "So… what happened to Krosynis?"

"From what Izira told me, he excelled in his studies, and he was able to see the fate of Ephedia," Talia said. "He could see people training in Dark Magic, and became a visionary. He demanded all people of Ephedia be treated equally, no matter their past or practices of magic. Needing time to determine how to continue preventing his vision from happening, he left to practice magic of his own with his followers."

"He put all of his knowledge into his Followers and himself, teaching them Spells that no one at his age would ever be able to perform," Auriana went on. "After ten years, he returned, claiming he found a way to preserve the lives of Ephedians even after they passed."

"He wanted to make all Ephedians immortal!" Iris exclaimed quietly.

"Yes," Talia said. "But he needed the power of the Oracle Gems first. He and his Followers attacked the Royal Palace to get the Crown on the Week of Wisdom."

"But Morgaine was there too," Carissa said. "She used the Crown of Ephedia with all of its Oracle Gems to seal him inside of the Palace, with the power of the Crown and its Gems keeping him from ever carrying out his evil plans again."

"And his Followers were thrown into Prison," Lyna went on. "To this day, all his Spells are to never be used, and his Followers to never be released."

"I thought Ephedia was always peaceful," Iris said. "I didn't know it had its own Dark Ages."

"Ephedia wasn't always a happy place, Iris," Talia said. "What happened in Earth's history also happened back on Ephedia. As a New Generation, we have to make sure we don't repeat the past. You saw what Gramorr did."

"Yeah," Iris said as Amaru looked to her. "Don't remind me."

"Hey, Girls," Doug said as he came over. "I'm not interrupting anything, am I?"

"No, not at all," Iris said. "In fact, we were hoping you would come by. We have news for every fan of LoliRock."

"Really?" Doug asked as he took out his phone. "What is it? Are these two new girls new members of the band?"

"Oh, I'm Lyna." Lyna said.

"Carissa." Carissa introduced herself while Auriana went to Doug so they could take Selfies together.

"And that's not the news," Talia said. She looked to Auriana and Doug taking Selfies and sighed. She let out a whistle. "Fun's over! Time for the announcement!"

Auriana sighed as she and Doug stopped taking Selfies. She made her way toward Iris and Talia as Lyna and Carissa got out of the way for them to make their announcement.

"All fans of LoliRock, we have signed up to perform a concert worldwide, for all countries to see," Iris announced. "Be there at our Concert in two weeks from now for new songs. Look out, World. Here we come!"

Doug's jaw seemed to drop. "Wow!" he exclaimed. "I can't believe you're going to perform in front of the World!" he exclaimed as he lowered his phone.

"Are you guys scared?" Zack asked as he and Nathaniel came over.

"Honestly, yeah," Iris replied. "This is big, and I'm not sure we can pull it off."

"Well, how about we put it to the test?" Nathaniel asked as he put down the smoothies for the girls. Lyna and Carissa picked up their drinks as he gestured to the screen. "I started a rock concert game here a while back after your last concert, so how about you practice with that… a _gainst_ someone?"

"Are you challenging us?" Auriana asked.

"He's not," Zack said as he walked up and picked up his guitar. "But _I_ am."

Talia chuckled as she got up. "Challenge accepted," she said as Iris and Talia walked up. "Let's get this started."

Everyone in the Smoothie Bar looked on in wonder as each player got to their instruments. Auriana went to a pair of drums, Iris picked up a microphone, and Talia got another guitar.

"Well, we have our challengers, now for the song," Nathaniel said as he selected a song with the remote. "Before I start, let me explain the rules."

"Go ahead." Iris said with a competitive look on her face.

"You sing and play, all of you," Nathaniel explained. "It doesn't matter who sings, just as long as each of you gets to do it. This is like a live action version of _Guitar Hero_ , so the louder the applause is, the higher the chance you win."

"Sounds simple enough." Zack said.

"Let's do it!" Iris exclaimed.

Nathaniel nodded and played the song. "Oh, and just to make things interesting," he started out as the song began. "I put the difficulty on 'Hard'."

" **WHAT?!** " LoliRock and Zack all exclaimed.

 _Misery Business_ by Paramore started to play. Iris, Auriana, Talia and Zack all got themselves ready again as the violin music played at the beginning. Once it stopped, Auriana slammed her drumsticks on the drums while Iris swung her hair around. Talia and Zack both played to the rhythm before the instrumental bridge where the vocals were needed came.

"~I'm in the business of misery, let's take it from the top~" Iris started out.

"~She's got a body like an hourglass~" Zack picked up.

"~It's ticking like a clock~" Talia went on.

"~It's a matter of time before we all run out~" Auriana continued to sing.

"~When I thought he was mine, she caught him by the mouth~" Talia sang as Iris smirked at her.

"~I waited eight long months, she finally set him free~" Iris went on.

"~I told him I couldn't lie, he was the only one for me~" Talia sang on. "~Two weeks and we had caught on fire~"

"~She's got it out for me, but I wear the biggest smile~" Zack went on, throwing his arm into the air.

Auriana spun around her right drumstick, throwing it into the air while drumming with one hand during the drum Solo. As soon as she caught it, she banged her drumsticks down as the chorus came.

"~Whoa, I never meant to brag~" Talia sang. "~But I got him where I wanted now~"

"~Whoa, it was never my intention to brag~" Auriana went on with a smile.

"~To steal it all away from you now~" Zack went on as Auriana started to drum heavily.

"~But God does it feel so good~" Iris continued to sing. "~'Cause I got him where I want him now~"

"~And if you could then you know you would…~" Zack went on.

"~'Cause God it just feels so…~" Iris sang before Auriana, Zack and Talia all played at the near end of the bridge. "~It just feels so good…~"

"~Second chances they don't ever matter~" Talia sang.

"~People never change~" Auriana sang.

"~Once a whore, you're nothing more~" Zack sang, getting Iris, Talia and Auriana to briefly look at him aghast.

"~I'm sorry?~" Talia asked while still singing the same line from the song.

"~That'll never change~" Iris mused with an awkward look on her face.

"~And about forgiveness~" Auriana sang while glaring at Zack.

"~We're both supposed to have exchanged~" Zack sang as Talia advanced on him angrily. "~I'm sorry honey, but I passed it up~"

"~Now look this way!~" Talia exclaimed as she spun Zack around to face her.

"~Well there's a million other girls who do it just like you~" Zack sang, trying to get on Talia's good side.

"~Looking as innocent as possible to get to who~" Talia sang.

"~They want and what they like~" Zack sang, getting Talia to chuckle a little. "~It's easy if you do it right~"

"~Well I refuse~" Talia sang back.

"~I refuse~" Auriana chimed in.

"~I refuse~!" Iris yelled, causing the crowd in the Smoothie Bar to cheer.

Auriana slammed her drumsticks on the drums while Zack backed away from Talia, the two continuing to play their guitars.

"~Whoa, I never meant to brag~" Zack sang.

"~But I got him where I wanted now~" Talia sang as she smiled at Zack.

"~Whoa, it was never my intention to brag~" Zack sang back. "~To steal it all away from you now~"

"~But God does it feel so good~" Auriana sang. "~'Cause I got him where I want him now~"

"~And if you could then you know you would~" Iris went on as everyone was now smiling at each other. "~'Cause God it just feels so…~"

Both Talia and Zack played their guitars softly as Auriana drummed lightly.

"~It just feels _so_ good…~" Iris sang as she looked to her friends.

"~I watched his wildest dreams come true~" Auriana sang softly.

"~Not one of them involving you~" Iris sang.

"~Just watched my wildest dreams come true~" Zack sang as everyone tapped their feet, including Nathaniel and Doug.

"~Not one of them involving…~" Talia picked up before she and Zack rocked out on their guitars.

Auriana played to the rhythm as Iris swung around her hair. She went over to Auriana and drummed a little while Talia and Zack played each others' guitars. Talia spun around and played while Zack slid on the ground and played at the same time. As soon as the instrumental Solo was done, Iris went back to back with Talia.

"~Whoa, I never meant to brag~" Talia sang as Iris placed the mic up to her mouth.

"~But I got him where I want him now~" Auriana sang as Iris handed the mic to her after.

"~Whoa, I never meant to brag~" Iris sang on. "~But I got him where I want him now~"

"~Whoa, it was never my intention to brag~" Zack sang as he and Talia smiled at each other again.

"~To steal it all away from you now~" Talia sang back.

"~But God does it feel so good~" Zack sang again.

"~'Cause I got him where I want him now~" Iris sang. "~And if you could then you know you would… 'Cause God it just feels so…~"

Auriana played like she never did before while Talia leapt into the air and kicked while playing her guitar. Zack kicked on the ground while Iris detached the mic from its stand again.

"~ **It just feels** _ **so**_ **good** ~!" Iris, Talia, Auriana and Zack all sang at once.

As soon as the song ended, everyone in the Smoothie Bar cheered. Both LoliRock and Zack bowed as Lyna, Carissa and Amaru clapped as well.

"I'd say that was a tie," Nathaniel said as he walked up and clapped. "You _both_ won!"

"Well, it was a close one," Iris said as she stretched her arms. She turned to Zack. "Nice job."

"Thanks, you too," Zack said as he first shook hands with Iris before shaking hands with Talia and Auriana. "Good luck on that world concert."

"Thanks!" Auriana replied enthusiastically.

"We'll need it." Talia said.

"Thanks for the Smoothies," Carissa said as she walked up to Nathaniel. "Those things are delicious!"

"They're not the only things…" Lyna said as she looked to some boys entering the Smoothie Bar.

Iris chuckled. "Let's get back home," she said. "We'd better get ready if we want to be at the top of our game."

"Later, Nathaniel." Lyna said as Auriana helped bring her out.

"Bye!" Iris called out.

"Good luck!" Nathaniel called back, waving to the girls as they left the Smoothie Bar.

At the same time, Melanie was leaving the Smoothie Bar. She turned around and smiled as LoliRock, Lyna and Carissa left as well before heading down the street. Unknown to any of them, Krosynis was looking to Melanie from the top of a roof.

"She will do." Krosynis said before teleporting away to go after Melanie.

* * *

Back at Aunt Ellen's House, Iris was looking through the Spellbook she found.

"Let's see, how should I do this?" Iris asked as she looked to the Crystal Parasitis Spell again. "'Must visualize the creature whose power you want. Cancel with the Spell Crystal Diminio'," she read as Amaru looked at the book as well. "Well, armadillos have the toughest skin," she noted. "And the Twins are always using strong spells on us, so maybe an armadillo skin would help."

"Amaru!" Amaru chattered in agreement.

"Iris, we're almost ready for magic training!" Talia called out. "You almost done in there?"

"Yeah," Iris called back. "Come right in!" she called before shaking her arms. She took a deep breath and visualized an armadillo in her mind. "Crystal Parasitis!" she incanted quietly.

For a moment, a combination of gold and pink magic glowed through Iris. As soon as she opened her eyes, she looked to herself.

"Well, we're ready," Carissa said as she came down. "What about you, Iris?"

Iris felt herself before turning to her friends. "I'm ready, I guess," she said. "What's on the agenda today?"

"Defense training," Talia explained. "You and Auriana go up against Lyna and Carissa. Pretend that they're the Twins."

"Right," Iris said as she and Auriana looked to each other. "Let's go," she said before spreading her arms out. " **Iris, Princess of Ephedia**!"

" **Auriana, Princess of Volta**!" Auriana called out.

" **Lyna, Princess of Borealis**!" Lyna called out.

" **Carissa, Princess of Calix**!" Carissa called out.

Iris, Auriana, Lyna and Carissa all transformed into their Princess Forms and leapt up to the training arena.

"Begin!" Talia called out.

"Crystal Offensio!" Carissa called out, shooting crystal shards at Iris and Auriana.

Lyna spun around and tossed her Ring towards Iris and Auriana alongside Carissa.

"Defend!" Talia ordered Iris and Auriana.

"Crystarmum!" Auriana called out, shielding herself from the blasts from Carissa.

"Huh?" Iris asked before the attacks started to come to her.

"Iris, look out!" Talia called out.

Iris turned around as the crystal blasts hit her. Much to everyone's surprise, the crystals shattered upon impact while the ring Lyna sent bounced off of her body.

"What?" Carissa asked. "How did that happen?"

"Wow, it worked!" Iris said to herself before seeing Lyna catch her ring. "Okay, Lyna uses levitation, so let's try a heavy animal," she said before visualizing an elephant and a rhino in her mind. "Crystal Parasitis!" she incanted quietly.

"Crystal Levitus!" Lyna called out, aiming her spell at Iris.

"Evade!" Talia called out.

Auriana leapt out of the way while Iris remained where she was. She glowed green for a while as Lyna incanted her spell, but she remained on the ground.

"Something must be wrong," Lyna said as she pushed on with her spell. "She should be high in the sky right now!"

"What are you doing, Iris?" Talia asked.

"Whoa, Amaru!" Amaru cheered.

Iris looked up and grinned. "That all you got?" she asked.

"Let's see her withstand this!" Carissa called out as she held her hand out to Iris. "Crystal Ruca!"

A large crystal was sent towards Iris. Iris just held her hand out and grabbed the crystal before throwing it back at Carissa, sending her backwards.

* * *

From the Mountains, Mephisto and Praxina both watched the training session.

"Look at that!" Mephisto exclaimed. "She brushed off those attacks like they were nothing!"

"Powerful, indeed!" Praxina remarked. "Iris is getting more powerful every day!"

"You think this has something to do with that other Ephedian we faced?" Mephisto asked.

"Maybe," Praxina said. "I say we capture him and bring him to Gramorr."

"Good idea." Mephisto said with a chuckle before he and Praxina teleported out of the Cave.

* * *

Talia and Amaru continued to watch as Iris withstood the attacks Lyna and Carissa sent at her. Carissa had gotten back up, but so far, none of their attacks were even scratching Iris.

"Time out!" Talia called out, getting everyone to stop. "I think we need to change the game."

"What do you mean?" Iris asked as Auriana walked back over. "Auriana and I are winning!"

"Yes… but you also seem to be tiring out Lyna and Carissa," Talia noted as she pointed to Lyna and Carissa, both stopping to catch their breaths. "How are you managing to hold your own against their Spells?"

"It was from—" Iris started out until her pendant started to glow. "Uh-oh," she said. "Someone needs help!"

"Who is it?" Auriana asked.

Iris closed her eyes and started to picture who was in trouble. It was one of the new powers she had gained ever since she got her Shanila. "Melanie!" she exclaimed. "The Twins must be after her!"

"Let's find out where she is." Talia said before holding hands with Iris and Auriana.

Lyna and Carissa both looked to each other before turning back to the Princesses.

"Crystal Locatum!" Iris incanted, summoning a ball of light. It floated in the air before flying away. "Amaru, we need your wings!"

Amaru nodded. He ran out, with Iris, Talia and Auriana following after them. As they were running out, Iris grabbed the spellbook she was reading and joined up with her friends.

Outside, Amaru transformed into his Pegasus Form. Lyna and Carissa ran out as they leapt on before flying after the orb.

"Hey!" Carissa called out. "Wait for us!"

"Sorry!" Talia called back. "We can't fit more than three!"

"Don't worry, I don't need to ride," Lyna said before flying into the air. "Come on, Carissa!"

"Crystal Slucium!" Carissa called out. She leapt into the air and landed on a star like her symbol. She flew off after the Princesses. "Wait for me!" she called out as Lyna flew after her.

* * *

Meanwhile, Melanie was walking through the park. Everyone else had left, but Krosynis was quietly following her. As he was following her, he stepped on a branch.

"Huh?" Melanie asked as she turned around to see what had made the noise.

When Melanie turned around, she was surprised to find that no one was there.

"Something wrong?" Chris asked, suddenly appearing in front of Melanie.

Melanie almost jumped in surprise, but she managed to regain herself. "Sorry," she apologized. "I thought someone was following me."

"I know the feeling," Chris, still in his civilian disguise, said as he picked up Melanie's bag. "Walk you home?"

"Sure," Melanie said as she walked with Chris down to the old abandoned street. She noticed him looking at her strangely. "Why are you doing that?" she asked.

"Doing what?" Chris asked.

"Looking at me like that," Melanie explained. "What's the deal?"

"Sorry," Chris said with a blush. "You just look like an old friend of mine, that's all."

"What happened?" Melanie asked. "She move away?"

"More like she moved _on_ ," Chris explained. He took out a book with a black crescent moon on it. "This was all she left for me."

"That looks like a good book," Melanie said. "She read it a lot?"

"Yeah," Chris said as he looked to the book before looking back at Melanie. "How about you have this?" he asked as he handed the book to her. "I've been meaning to give it away."

"Oh…" Melanie said as she looked to the book. For a moment, she almost felt drawn towards it. "I couldn't."

"It's best for someone else to have it," Chris said. "Don't be afraid, it's not gonna kill you."

"But Gramorr _will!_ " a voice called out.

"Who said that?!" Melanie asked as she looked around.

Chris turned to the side to see red and green crystal blasts heading towards them.

"Get down!" Chris called out, pushing himself into Melanie. The two got out of the way just in time as the blast went past them. He and Melanie looked up as Mephisto and Praxina floated over towards them.

"Nice reflexes," Praxina remarked. "Too bad that was just luck!"

"If I told you once, I'll tell you again," Chris told the Twins while helping Melanie back up onto her feet. "Get lost."

"Silence!" Mephisto spat. "You have an appointment with Lord Gramorr!"

"I don't even know who Gramorr is!" Chris yelled. "If he's your father, I should probably let him know what his children have been up to."

"Oh, you'll be sorry you ever said that!" Praxina yelled as she and Mephisto charged up for another attack.

All of a sudden, Iris leapt on top of a building and punched Praxina out of the sky. Mephisto turned to fight her, but he was kicked by her to the ground.

"Stay away from them!" Iris demanded as Talia and Auriana ran up alongside her.

"Not _you_ again!" Praxina groaned angrily. "You give me such a headache!"

"Nice timing," Chris said as the LoliRock Girls turned to him. "I didn't know how much longer Melanie and I could hold out."

"Chris, are you hurt?" Iris asked.

"Yes, I'm fine, and so is Melanie," Chris said. He lifted up his hand and pointed to Auriana and Talia. "Orange and blue. Auriana and Talia, right?"

"We'll talk to you later," Talia said. "Get Melanie somewhere safe."

"What about you?" Melanie asked.

"We've got this!" Auriana replied as she, Iris and Talia all stared down the Twins.

"Chris! Go now!" Iris ordered.

"Right away, Princess." Chris said as he took Melanie to safety, into an alley.

"Blatius!" Mephisto incanted, sending several dark green crystal shards towards Chris.

Chris quietly used his magic to create several shields that defended him and Melanie from the blasts. However, instead of them being his usual glow, he disguised them as orange like Auriana's glow to make it look as if she were the one who made the shields.

"You'll _pay_ for that!" Praxina exclaimed.

"Not as much as _you_ will!" Iris called out as she spread her arms out, immediately transforming as she called out, " **Iris, Princess of Ephedia**!"

" **Talia, Princess of Xeris**!" Talia called out as she pressed her bracelet.

" **Auriana, Princess of Volta**!" Auriana called out, punching out her fist with her ring on her finger.

Auriana spun around and twirled like a ballerina until she gained an orange and white dress with a crescent moon on her chest. She placed her arms across her chest as white gloves came onto her arms before tapping her legs, letting orange high-heel boots appear before she placed her arms down, gaining orange armlets on her elbows before sliding her hand across her head, turning her hair from red to orange, which grew longer into a ponytail. Two earrings appeared on her earlobes before she opened her eyes as two crescent-shaped crests flew down, giving her a piece of glittering transparent fabric.

Talia spun around, gaining a blue and white dress with a diamond on the middle, and raised her arms into the air before letting them slowly fall, her left leg dropping to join her right leg. As soon as her legs were together, blue boots appeared over them. She raised her hands up, gaining white gloves before she flicked her hands from her elbows, gaining blue armlets. She slid her hand across her hair, turning it from brown to blue, her hair now longer like Iris and Auriana's, before pink lipstick appeared on her lips. As soon as she gained her blue diamond earrings, she opened her eyes and looked down as she gained a piece of glittering transparent fabric from her diamond crests.

Chris peered out from the alley and turned to see the LoliRock Girls now in their Princess Forms.

"What's happening?" Melanie asked as she tried to get a view. "I can't see a thing!"

"Trust me, you wouldn't believe it," Chris said as he put Melanie back down. "Now, I need you to trust me."

"You got me here," Melanie pointed out. "How could I not?"

"Open the book," Chris ordered. "You'll be safe."

"Really?" Melanie asked as she looked to the book. "We're about to die, and you want me to read a book from your girlfriend?"

"Just read it," Chris ordered again. "Once you do, everything will make sense."

Melanie scoffed. "If you say so…" she said as she opened the book. However, once she opened it, a black glow started to appear. "Whoa!" she exclaimed as a black magic rune, one depicting a crescent, placed itself on Melanie's head.

Krosynis chuckled as he helped Melanie up. Her head was down as she got up onto her feet.

"How do you feel… Mahria?" Krosynis asked.

"Alive," Melanie said as she looked to herself. "You were right. Everything _does_ make sense now… except for the body I'm using."

"You'll adjust," Krosynis said. "Now, the Princess have no idea what I'm doing or who I am, so use this chance to run, and then make your way to Jamestown," he ordered. "I already have Nyassa in Salem. You know what to do when you get there."

"Right," Mahria said with a nod and a devilish grin. "Glory to Ephedia!" she exclaimed before running off.

"Crystarmum!" Iris called out, creating a shield with Auriana to defend themselves from Mephisto and Praxina.

"We'll make this easy for you," Mephisto said. "Just hand us the Ephedian, and we'll let you die quickly."

"You want Chris?" Iris asked.

At that moment, Melanie ran out from the alley. Praxina noticed her and chuckled.

"Maybe your earthling friend will cooperate." Praxina said as she teleported to Melanie.

"Melanie, look out!" Talia called out.

Praxina teleported in front of Melanie, only for Chris to come out of the alley and blast her away.

"Sorry to disappoint," Chris said. "But you touch her… I touch you… and I will make it hurt like Hell."

"Chris?" Auriana asked as she and Iris lowered their shields. "You really _are_ an Ephedian!"

"Gramorr will have _fun_ finding out what makes you tick!" Mephisto remarked.

"Tell me why I should care about that name," Chris spat as he formed a Crystal Boomerang. "Right now, I couldn't care less if his name was God." He quipped before throwing the boomerang, causing the Twins to be knocked out of the air.

"Nice shot!" Iris complimented.

"All in the wrist." Chris said.

"You won't _have_ a wrist when _I'm_ done with you!" Praxina exclaimed. She took out her red rapiers and charged at Krosynis.

"Crystemsabrus!" Iris called out, forming her sword from her scepter. She charged at Praxina and started to visualize animals in her mind. "Crystal Parasitis!" she incanted quietly.

Praxina slashed at Chris, but Iris suddenly dashed at her and slammed her rapier away.

"What?!" Praxina exclaimed, slashing again.

Iris, having harnessed the preciseness of a swordfish and the speed of a cheetah, parried off every attack Praxina sent at her. When the time was right, she slashed at Praxina's waist, sending her flying.

"Wow," Auriana said. "That's the longest I've ever seen Iris keep her sword, and that's saying something!"

Meanwhile, a safe distance away from the battle, Melanie ran into the forest. She looked up as her eyes and her crescent glowed black.

" **Mahria, Defender of Volta**!" Melanie called out, transforming into an Ephedian form. Now as Mahria, she flew off towards Jamestown.

"Praxina!" Mephisto exclaimed as he ran to Praxina's aid.

"Crystal Ruca!" Chris called out, sending twelve large crystal shards towards Mephisto and Praxina.

Mephisto looked up and gasped. He grabbed Praxina and teleported out of the way. However, once they were on a roof, one of the shards hit him before Lyna and Carissa arrived, knocking them back to the ground.

"Wanna give up now or wait until you get home?" Iris asked, aiming her sword at the Twins.

Praxina growled as Mephisto helped her back up. "Don't think this is over!" she exclaimed. "You haven't seen the last of us!" she yelled before she and Mephisto teleported away.

Amaru flew over, still in Pegasus Form, and turned back into his true self. Chris looked down to Amaru as he looked up to him.

"I know these things," Chris said as everyone looked to him. "They can sense trouble just by looking at anything."

"That's Amaru, alright." Auriana said.

"I had a feeling," Chris said before silently casting a Spell that cloaked his true nature. He picked up Amaru and petted him. "I haven't seen one of these ever since the Palace came under attack by Voltan Fluff Flies," he said before turning back to Auriana. "No offense."

"None taken." Auriana replied with a smile.

"So, _this_ is Chris, the mysterious Ephedian?" Talia asked.

"I didn't expect him to look so… sexy." Lyna said as she walked over.

"Lyna!" Talia whispered. "Language!"

"Thanks for helping us out," Iris said. "You seem to be stronger in magic than _I_ am!"

"Well, I've had a lot of practice," Chris said before seeing the other Princesses walking towards him. "I see these are your friends," he said before looking to Auriana's symbol. "Volta, right?"

"Right!" Auriana confirmed.

Chris turned to Lyna and Carissa. "Pacifist Borealis and Proud Calix," he said, causing Lyna's jaw to drop while Carissa grinned. "Glad to meet you."

"Ahem!" Talia cleared her throat.

Chris looked to Talia. His eyes seemed to go wide. "The house of Xeris?" he asked. "This is… unexpected."

"Xeris is one of the most trusted kingdoms allied with Ephedia," Talia remarked. "Where were you all this time?" she asked. "We could have used your help against Gramorr."

"Can someone _please_ tell me who this Gramorr is?" Chris asked. "I've been hearing about him nonstop."

"You're joking, right?" Talia asked. "He usurped the throne from the King and Queen of Ephedia, and is trying to get the Oracle Gems to get the power of the Crown for himself."

"So the Oracle Gems have been scattered?" Chris asked.

"Yes, to make sure Gramorr didn't get their power," Iris added on. "We've gotten most of them, but the Twins managed to get one from me."

"I see," Chris said as he placed his hand on his chin. "This isn't good."

Iris narrowed her eyes at Chris before they widened. "You don't know a thing about what's been going on, do you?" she asked.

"How come you don't know so much?" Auriana asked.

"When you're on Ephedia and you haven't been back for years, you tend to be behind on the latest news," Chris replied. "Ever hear of Morgaine?"

"Yeah," Iris replied. "She knew my Parents."

"She's mad with power once you get to know her. I learned that the hard way," Chris explained, causing Iris to gasp. "Oh, don't look so surprised," he remarked. "Iris, you're going to learn that some people in Ephedia aren't always nice. In fact, Ephedia wasn't always that nice of a place."

Talia narrowed her eyes at Chris. "Who _are_ you?" she asked. "What are you hiding?"

"I could ask you the same thing." Chris said.

Talia's eyes widened. "What do you mean?" she asked.

"You know what I mean." Chris spat.

"Hey, we're trying to be friends, not enemies," Iris interrupted, breaking up the Xerin and the lost Ephedian. "Right now, we have to make sure we're ready for our Concert."

"You play good music, I'll give you that," Chris said. "Well, I'd best be off."

"You don't want to come back with us?" Carissa asked. "We could keep you safe from Gramorr!"

"I thank you for your offer, but I can look out for myself," Chris said before looking to Iris. "Oh, and by the way," he started out. "I came across a friend of yours."

"Really?" Iris asked. "Which one?"

"Black hair, yellow eyes, likes wearing green and pink every day…" Chris listed.

"Missy?" Auriana asked.

"Missy Robins?" Iris asked again for clarification.

"Yeah," Chris said before looking to Iris. "Is she your…?" he started out.

"No, no, not even close," Iris replied quickly in disgust. "I wouldn't kiss her even if she were the last person on Earth."

"Oh, I didn't take you for a lesbian," Chris joked. "Anyway, she was saying some nasty stuff about you."

"Tell me something I _don't_ know." Iris spat.

"Well, I gave her a piece of my mind, and she stopped, how do you say it, throwing shade at you and LoliRock," Chris explained. "She went home after, and I haven't seen her around since."

"Well, as long as she stopped trash-talking us, I guess everything's okay," Talia said before looking to the girls. "Let's go home."

Everyone nodded and followed Talia. As Iris was leaving, Chris walked up to her and grabbed her by the arm.

"Do you trust Talia?" Chris asked.

"Yeah," Iris replied. "She and Auriana helped me come this far. Why do you ask?"

"Ask her about Xeris during the Azure Age of Ephedia," Chris said. "You'll learn a lot about _all_ of the Kingdoms."

Iris narrowed her eyes at Chris. "Okay, if you say so," she said as she followed her friends. "Take care of yourself, Chris." She said as she got onto Amaru, flying away with the rest of her friends.

"You too… Princess," Krosynis said. He looked to the his hands as two more books materialized. "Werner, Kento, I'm almost ready to bring you back," he said. "But first, I need something to help me… just in case." He said before turning around and walking away. After five steps forward, he suddenly started to walk on air before teleporting away.

* * *

Back at Aunt Ellen's house, Iris was reading through Ephedian History Books in the Library. As she was doing so, Amaru walked up to her. He looked up and nuzzled against her knee.

"Hey there, little guy," Iris said as she picked up Amaru and tickled his belly, causing him to smile. "You wouldn't happen to know anything about the Azure Age of Ephedia, would you?" she asked, causing him to open his eyes and shake his head. "Thought so," she mused, not noticing Auriana coming into the Library. "I've looked through all the History Books, and I can't find anything about it."

"What are you trying to find, Iris?" Auriana asked as she walked over. "How to do new Spells?"

"No, I've got _that_ down," Iris replied. "I'm trying to find out something called the Azure Age of Ephedia," she explained, causing Auriana's eyes to widen. "Do you know what happened there?"

"Who told you about that?" Auriana asked almost suspiciously.

"Chris did, right before we parted," Iris replied. She noticed Auriana's look and grinned. "From the look on your face, I'm telling it was important," she deducted. "What happened?"

Auriana remained quiet for a moment. Iris raised an eyebrow and started to wave her hand across her face.

"Auriana?" Iris asked. "Auriana, are you home?"

"What?" Auriana asked. "Oh, sorry."

"Was history of Ephedia not your thing?" Iris asked.

"Pfft! No!" Auriana remarked with a wave of her hand. "I know all about Ephedia… just not that event every well."

"But you said it was important." Iris pointed out.

"I did?" Auriana asked.

"Well, you didn't 'say it' say it, but your face said it," Iris said. "So, what's the Azure Age of Ephedia?"

Auriana placed her hand to her chin, trying to think of a response. Iris was about to speak up again until she looked back up.

"You know, when Matt was showing me around the museum, I think I saw something about Ephedia! Yeah!" Auriana said, causing Iris and Amaru to exchange looks with one another.

"How come you never brought this up?" Iris questioned.

"Oh! Um, well…" Auriana started out, almost stuttering. "See, I didn't notice it until _after_ we got that Oracle Gem, and focusing on the Concert at that time just made it slip my mind."

Iris pondered on this for a moment. "Well…" she started out, causing Auriana to gulp. "Yeah, that makes sense," she said, causing the Voltan Princess to let out a sigh of relief. "We'd better get to the Museum and check it out, then."

Amaru almost screamed, as did Auriana.

"Wait!" Auriana exclaimed. "You mean right now? While we have a Worldwide Concert coming up?"

"The Museum closes in twenty minutes!" Iris said as she took Auriana's hand. "Come on! If we're to find out about Ephedia's history, we need to find that thing you're talking about!"

"But it's old, like Rosetta Stone old!" Auriana protested.

"I passed all my history classes, so I bet I could translate it!" Iris said. "Come on, let's get the others."

Upstairs, Lyna and Carissa were both reading through magazines they found near the fireplace. As Talia was coming by to get some milk, Iris dragged Auriana in.

"What's going on?" Talia asked.

"Auriana just told me there's a piece of Ephedian history in the museum," Iris explained, causing the rest of the Princesses to gape in surprise and confusion. "I was thinking we could all go, since I need to still learn more about Ephedia and all."

"Um… sure?" Carissa said.

"Sounds good to me," Talia said. "Okay, let's go."

* * *

At the Mountains, Mephisto and Praxina were both arguing with one another in front of the waterfall.

"Why didn't you finish her off, Praxina?" Mephisto asked. "Iris isn't _that_ tough, you know!"

" _You_ fight her on your own next time!" Praxina remarked, feeling her wrist. "She was moving too fast for me."

"Oh, this is just a _nother_ trick, isn't it?" Mephisto asked as the waterfall started to change shape. "Like zapping me in the back?!"

"I needed to let my frustration out on _someone!_ " Praxina remarked. "Besides, I don't give a f—"

" _Mephisto, Praxina!_ " Gramorr called out, causing the Twins to jump before turning to their Master. " _I hope you had chosen your words wisely_."

"Yeah, me too." Mephisto spat as he glared at Praxina.

"Um, how may we serve you, Master?" Praxina asked.

" _The Princesses have found something Ephedian at the Museum, apparently_ ," Gramorr explained, showing the Princesses on his Crystal Orb. " _Follow them and find out what they're up to_."

"Yes, your evilness," Mephisto said. "But first, we need to tell you about an Ephedian we found."

" _What?!_ " Gramorr exclaimed, his eyes glowing. " _Why didn't you bring this up to me sooner?!_ "

"We weren't sure about it at first," Praxina pointed out. "But he knows magic, and wherever he shows up, the Princesses are always there to help him."

Gramorr growled, as did Banes. " _Find this Ephedian and bring him to me_ ," he ordered. " _I want answers from him_."

"Yes, Master." Mephisto said before Gramorr faded away. As soon as he was gone, the Twins teleported towards the Museum.

* * *

At the Museum, Iris was running to the entrance, with the rest of the Princesses in tow.

"What's this all about a piece of Ephedia?" Lyna whispered to Auriana. "Surely, we or Izira would have known about it."

"Iris brought up the Azure Age of Ephedia, right out of the blue," Auriana whispered, causing Lyna and Carissa to gasp as Talia followed behind Iris. "If she found out about it from Talia…"

"She would never forgive her!" Carissa quietly exclaimed. "But you had to _lie_ to Iris instead?"

"Well, about that…" Auriana started out. "There really _is_ an Ephedian Artifact at the Museum."

"What?!" Talia exclaimed, having heard this.

"Aside from the Tangram Shield, there was also a scroll with Ephedian writing on it," Auriana explained. "I didn't notice it until I went back to Matt after the Concert. Then we had another Concert at Lily Bowman's, and I forgot about it after."

"Well, things just got serious." Carissa explained.

"It was near the Tangram Shield," Auriana explained as Iris waited for them at the door. "I can show you."

"Um, guys?" Iris asked, getting everyone to turn to her. "The Tangram Shield… it's been moved."

Everyone looked to see the Tangram Shield at a different display behind some glass. Auriana glanced past it to see a room with slabs and scrolls in it.

"We're not after the Tangram Shield," Auriana whispered. "It's that scroll."

"You mean the one in the exhibit that's about to close?" Iris asked as a guard walked up.

"We'll have to hurry," Talia said. She turned to Lyna and Carissa. "Auriana, Iris and I will try to get in and get the scroll before it closes," she said. "You try and create a distraction so that our cover doesn't get blown."

"What _kind_ of distraction?" Carissa asked as Lyna looked around, gazing at a crystal.

"Anything!" Iris whispered before she, Talia and Auriana went to check out the Ephedian Scroll.

"Come on!" Carissa whispered as she brought Lyna into the Museum.

Lyna nodded as she watched Iris, Talia and Auriana head towards the exhibit. Unknown to them, Chris was watching them from afar while Mephisto and Praxina watched them from one of the windowsills.

Lyna looked around as Iris, Auriana and Talia headed towards the exhibit. She saw the clock almost strike at ten minutes before closing time before seeing Stanley walk over with Matt. She continued to look around her before the clock struck nine minutes. With stress building up, she did the first thing that came to mind.

"Day-O!"

Everyone stopped what they were doing and looked to Lyna with confusion, as did Carissa.

"Day-ay-ay-o!" Lyna sang again before clearing her throat. "~Daylight come and me wan' go ho-o-me~"

Carissa looked at Lyna singing with horror.

Gramorr watched from the Palace with confusion as Banes seemed to mutter in confusion.

Mephisto looked with his lips folded in confusion before looking to Praxina, whose jaw dropped incredulously.

"~Day, me say day, me say day, me say day, me say day~" Lyna continued to sing as Chris winced one eye and raised another while his lips folded.

"~Me say Day-ay-ay-o~" Lyna went on before elbowing Carissa. "Everybody!"

Carissa rubbed her elbow before seeing Lyna glare at her. Nervously, she took a deep breath and joined in.

" **~Daylight come and me wan' go home~** "

"~ _Work all night for a drink a' rum_ ~ _!_ " Lyna sang as Iris, Talia and Auriana found the parchment.

"Here it is!" Auriana whispered as she looked to the parchment, carefully removing the glass case over it.

"Wait," Talia said as she, Iris and Auriana looked around in confusion. "What is Lyna _doing?_ "

"This is… way off-key." Iris noted as she raised an eyebrow.

" **~Daylight come and me wan' go home~** "

"~Stack the banana 'till the morning come~" Lyna sang again as more people looked to her and Carissa with confusion on their faces.

" **~Daylight come and me wan' go home~** "

"~Come, Mr. Tally Man, tally me banana~" Lyna sang as Matt and some other people started to move along to the beat.

"Wow." Praxina said with her eyes wide in shock.

"They were already messed up before I got here." Chris mused before teleporting away.

" **~Daylight come and me wan' go home~** "

"~Lift six foot, seven foot, eight foot bunch~!" Lyna continued to sing.

One of the guards turned his head, almost seeing Iris, Talia and Auriana.

"It's not working!" Carissa whispered. "Let me take over."

"Be my guest," Lyna said. "But _don't_ sing that song!"

"Okay, we're good so far… somehow," Talia said as she looked out before looking to Auriana. "How do we get this without stealing it?"

"I know the right spell," Iris said as she walked over. "We just need a little more time before—"

"~ **Day-O! Me say Day-O** ~!" Iris, Talia and Auriana suddenly heard Carissa sing as lights started to flash like at a disco party.

Outside, everyone was cheering and dancing as Carissa sang.

"~ **Daylight come and me don't wanna go home** ~! Everybody!" Carissa sang.

"~Yeah, so… we losing control… turn the lights off 'caus we about to get blown~!" Lyna hesitantly sang along.

Auriana grinned and bobbed her head. Talia turned to her and elbowed her.

Iris snickered before looking to the parchment. She closed her eyes and focused on the new spells she learned. "Crystal Duplico!" she incanted quietly, creating a new, perfect copy of the parchment, which placed itself on the display case as if it were never moved. She opened her eyes and smiled as she turned to Talia and Auriana. "Okay, I've got it," she said. "Let's go."

"I could have done this just as easily!" Lyna argued as Carissa stepped down while everyone continued to dance to the music, now playing over the speakers.

"You were way off-key!" Carissa argued.

"Just _wait_ 'till we get home!" Lyna said angrily. "I may not be able to use magic openly, but once they get the parchment…"

"Carissa, a ten!" Iris called out as she, Talia and Auriana came over. "Lyna, a five."

"Oh, it's _on!_ " Lyna exclaimed angrily.

"Try me," Carissa said before turning around. She formed a crystal microphone and dropped it, saying, "Drop the mic! I'm out!"

"You want singing lessons, come to _us_ first." Talia said as she pulled Lyna and Carissa out of the Museum.

"I liked it, very catchy," Auriana said as the girls closed the door behind them. Immediately, a slap was heard once they were out of the Museum. "Ow."

* * *

At the same time, at the beach, a boy with a grey swimsuit was surfing some waves. Everyone there was cheering him on before he came back to the shore.

"Nice one, Connor!" Nathaniel said as he walked over with two other people, a boy with green clothes and a girl with brown hair, a white beret, a spotted shirt and a red skirt. "You'll make the swim team for sure!"

"Thanks," Connor said. He looked over to the other two friends. "Dylan, Laurel, you wanna meet up at the Skate Park later?"

"Sure," Dylan said. "Just gotta make sure my Mom okays it. She's thinking about dumping Jessica on me."

"Don't worry," Laurel said. "I'm sure we'll be fine."

"Yeah," Connor said before suddenly turning his head to the side where his stuff was. "Um… we'll meet up later."

Dylan nodded and patted Connor on the shoulder. "Don't drown, okay?"

Connor chuckled before Laurel walked away.

"She's something else, isn't she?" Connor asked.

"Bright future ahead of her," Dylan agreed. "Well, best of luck." He said before walking away as well.

Connor nodded and walked over to get his stuff. However, as he opened his bag, he saw a red book with a dark-red gem on it. "What's this?" he asked. He looked around before opening it up. As he did, a red compass star embedded itself onto his forehead. He grinned as his eyes flashed before walking away. He dropped his stuff as he went towards the bluff. " **Kento, Blood Knight of Calix**!" he called out before transforming into a Calixian Warrior with red armor all over his body. He laughed and faded into red mist.

* * *

In the slums of New York, several gang members were gathering together.

"We got the goods," one gangster said to a man sitting on a chair. "It's only a matter of time before we rule the streets."

The leader of the gang chuckled. He picked up a handful of money and held it up for everyone to see. "Look here, boys!" he called out, causing everyone to chuckle. "We already made our big score in Iowa, and don't forget about our success in Chicago!" he announced. "Once we get our big score here, we finish the job… at Sunny Bay!"

Everyone cheered in delight at this. However, the cheering came to a halt when the sound of clapping filled the air.

The gang leader winced his eyes to see where the sound was coming from. Out of the fog of the alley emerged Chris. He continued to slowly clap before stopping in place.

"Good job, all of you," Chris said. "Your parents must be proud of the life decisions you make… and I'm glad to have found where the scum of humanity comes to chill."

"You lost, Kid?" the gang leader asked. "Not sure if you know this… but no minors allowed. We're not interested in anything you have to offer."

"Now that hurt," Chris said as he patted one of the gangsters on the shoulder. "But I'll let you off the hook, because I'm looking for volunteers," he announced. "Guys who want in on the big score, bigger than what you've been doing, _that's_ for sure," he added on. "People who want to change the World for the better."

"Yo, Gold, we run the rackets here," the gang leader said. "Take your hustle someplace else or go we turn you in to Juvie."

"Not my first Prison Break," Chris remarked. "But this isn't a hustle. It's the chance to make the dreams you never knew existed come true."

The gang leader laughed. "Look who thinks he's the Wizard of Oz!" he exclaimed, causing an uproar of laughter.

Chris's smile dropped. "The Wizard of Oz?" he asked. He shoved aside one of the gang members before shoving aside more as he made his way to the leader. "Let me tell you something about the 'Wizard of Oz', Human," he said, causing everyone to look to him. "The Wizard of Oz is a failed idea on the cutting room _floor_ compared to my _vision!_ "

"You're outta here, Kid," the gang leader said before turning to one of the gangsters. "Give him a spank and take him to the cemetery for bedtime." He ordered.

The gangster nodded and took out some brass knuckles.

Chris chuckled. "You're gonna wish you hadn't done that," he said. With that, he took out his star as his eye glowed. He spun it around and let the three blades of his sword come out before taking the brass knuckles and trapping the gangster in the wall with them. More gangsters came at him, but he slashed at them all, knocking them dead before spinning his star around again, turning his weapon into a bow. He pantomimed an arrow being pulled back as he aimed his weapon at the leader. "See you in Klatznik." He said before releasing the arrow, sending it at his heart and sending him onto the ground.

"You ain't so tough!" the gang leader said as the arrow started to cause his body to slowly crack. "Try that again, kid, and I'll—"

Before he could finish, the gang leader's body was completely turned to crystal before shattering into over a million pieces.

"Dono Malene, leader of fifty-four of the baddest men in the states," Chris mused before looking to some of the dead gangsters. "Well… make that forty. I never liked that Marine anyway."

One of the gangsters gulped nervously. "So… Boss…" he said as he stepped up. "What did you have in mind for us?"

"Call me… 'Prince'," Chris said as he swung his weapon down, reverting it back into a star. He walked to the chair and touched it, suddenly encasing it in crystal. "See, I have a plan in motion, and right now, three of the followers I've recruited are putting it in motion," he said before slamming his fist on the chair, causing the crystals to fly off, now revealing it to be a throne. "What's your name, by the way?" he asked as he sat on his throne.

"Warren…" the gangster said nervously.

"Take a gander, Warren," Chris said as the last book came down and floated to Warren. He opened it up, causing a light to appear. Everyone covered their eyes as Warren was now a Borealean Soldier with silver robes and sharp wings on his back. "Or as I like to call you… Werner."

"Great to be back, Krosynis," Werner said as the gangsters looked on in amazement and shock. "I take it I'm the last one?"

"I have a fifth one, but the rest of the followers are now active," Krosynis said as he shed his disguise. "Seems that in our absence on Ephedia, someone has usurped the throne."

"So what do you want _us_ to do, Prince?" another gangster asked.

"Ten of you go with Werner to the Village of Sleepy Hollow," Krosynis ordered. "Ten others to Salem, ten more to Jamestown, and the last four go to Roanoke Island. You will find my other followers, Nyassa, Mahria, and Kento at each location."

"What will _you_ do, Master?" Werner asked.

Krosynis chuckled as he got up. As he did, his throne levitated before fading away. "I have some business to take care of," he said. "There are a couple things we need for my plan to succeed, and two of the three are in the hands of the usurper of the throne," he explained. "Until I return, do _not_ deter from the mission."

"Yeah, sure thing." A gangster said.

"I will not fail you, my Master." Werner said.

"We'll see." Krosynis said before he flew away into the air.

* * *

Meanwhile, back in Sunny Bay, Iris and Talia were both looking at the retrieved parchment.

"What is it?" Iris asked as Auriana came over.

"It's an old text," Talia explained. "Something so ancient that even _I_ don't understand what half of it means."

Iris narrowed her eyes at Talia. "I see," she said. "So, we could learn more about Ephedia from here?"

"Most likely," Talia said. She looked to the parchment carefully. "But it could take a while, so you can do something else."

"Well, I've been meaning to ask you something." Iris said as Auriana gasped a little.

"Go ahead," Talia said. "I'm an open book."

"What was the Azure Age of Ephedia?" Iris asked.

Talia stopped what she was doing. She slowly turned to Iris. "Who told you about that?" she asked.

"Chris," Iris said. "And… you're an open book, so… what was it?"

"That… that book's closed," Talia said. "I don't know how you _or_ Chris knew about those events, but knowing too much about something like that is dangerous."

Iris narrowed her eyes at Talia. "There was something happened with Xeris and Ephedia during the Azure Age, wasn't there?" she asked.

"Iris, drop it." Talia said calmly while clenching her fist.

"What was it? A coup? Murder?" Iris continued to ask. "You're teaching me more about Ephedia with every passing day until we take back the throne, Talia, and we both know that our Planet is dying," she said. "So, let me ask again… what _is_ the Azure Age of Ephedia?"

Talia got up and slammed the parchment onto the table. Unlike the last time she snapped, Iris did not budge.

"When you are ready for the truth, I will tell you. Now is not the time," Talia said sternly. "Ask me again… and you can forget about becoming Queen." She said before walking away.

Iris turned to Talia as she walked away. She narrowed her eyes at her before sitting down at the counter, placing her face into her hands.

"Why?" Iris asked as Auriana came over. "Why can't I know more about Ephedia? That's why you wanted me, Auriana," she said. "You want me to take the throne back from Gramorr by any means necessary. That's why you were sent to Earth, to find me."

"There are some things you're just not ready for yet," Auriana explained. "The secret of my family being imprisoned came as a surprise to me. You need to know these things as Talia said, only when the time is right."

"And how do I know that?" Iris asked. She sighed as she got up. "I'm gonna go train. It might help me clear my mind." She said before walking away.

Auriana looked to Iris sadly. "Are we still going to perform?" she asked as Iris almost walked out the door.

"We are," Iris replied as she turned back to Auriana. "We just… need to find our own power, that's all." She said before walking away.

Auriana smiled as Amaru came over. She turned to him with the smile gone. "Iris can't know about what the Azure Age is," she said. "Keep an eye on her, will you?"

"Oh, Amaru!" Amaru replied before running after Iris.

As Iris got down to the Rehearsal Studio, she noticed Carissa in the air.

"Put me down!" Carissa demanded as Lyna sat on a chair with her feet up on the stage. "This isn't funny!"

"I warned you not to mess with me…" Lyna said dryly as she swung Carissa towards a different direction.

"Lyna, put her down!" Iris demanded. "You might get off the hook with this with Izira around, but not with me!"

Lyna looked to Iris and gasped, unknowingly dropping Carissa onto the ground. "Oh, Iris!" she exclaimed. "I… didn't see you there."

"Can't you settle your differences _another_ way?" Iris asked as Carissa got up.

"Hey, a quarter!" Carissa exclaimed, which did not catch the attention of Iris and Lyna as she reached her hand into the couch.

"Well, that's just my way," Lyna said. "Carissa and I have been squabbling for so long she gets _used_ to being levitated."

"Lyna, you can _fly_ , something not even _I_ can do without going Shanila," Iris said. She took out an apple and handed it to Lyna. "Squeeze this as hard as you can."

Lyna looked to the apple. "It's a good fruit," she said. "I don't want to ruin—"

"Squeeze. The. Apple." Iris said sternly.

Lyna sighed. "Okay," she said. She squeezed it, and much to her surprise, it did not squash. "Wow," she said. "What spell did you use to stop it from splattering all over the place?"

"It's a stress reliever," Iris explained. "Instead of letting your anger out on Carissa, you can squeeze this, and you won't be so stressed," she said before Carissa came over with a bag full of quarters. "Wow. Jackpot."

"What's jackpot?" Carissa asked.

Iris chuckled. "Never mind," she said before raising her hand up. "I'm gonna do some training. You mind leaving so I can focus?"

"Sure," Lyna said. "And thanks."

Iris nodded before Lyna and Carissa left the room. As soon as they did, she summoned the Training Arena. Amaru ran up next to her, causing her to smile and pick him up to pet him.

"I need to find out the answers to my questions myself, Amaru," Iris said. "If no one's going to tell me, it's my job to do it," she said before summoning magic rings in front of her. "Okay, I know birds can fly, but I need Lyna's flying special abilities," she said. "So… Crystal Parasitis!" she exclaimed, gaining a green glow.

Amaru looked to Iris before she spread her hands out. All of a sudden, she started to float.

"Amaru!" Amaru exclaimed.

"Look at me, Amaru!" Iris exclaimed joyfully. She laughed happily as she flew in circles in the air. "I'm Peter Pan! I can fly! I can fly! I can fly!" she cheered before flying through the hoops. "This is one of the best spells I can ever imagine!" she exclaimed before flying through more of the hoops. She eventually flew low to the ground, where she picked up Amaru. "Your turn!" she said before dropping Amaru.

"Wha!" Amaru exclaimed. He closed his eyes and transformed into a Pegasus, flying alongside Iris before he could hit the ground.

Iris chuckled and flew down as Amaru joined her. The two flew through the hoops and back before landing on the ground. She laughed happily as Amaru turned back into himself and laughed as well.

"Okay, I'll admit, that helped to clear my head," Iris said as she took out the new spellbook. "Now, let's see what else there is…" she said as she turned the pages. "The Crystal Control Spell, the Cross Spell, and… the Agony Spell?" she read, the last one hitting her with confusion. "Let's see what _this one_ is about," she said as she summoned manifestations of Crystal Monsters. One of them fired at her while the other charged. "Crystal Imperia!" she incanted, causing the monster to stop. She turned her hand around with wonder, causing the monster to face the other. She extended it, and the two monsters started to fight each other. "Now, the Cross Spell," she said. "Crystal Excuera!" she incanted, causing several cross slashes to appear on the monsters before they shattered.

Amaru nervously backed away.

"I'm gonna mark that as a last resort, with the Agony Spell," Iris said before noticing another Spell. "The Temporal Time Spell?" she asked. She held her hand out to the remains of one of the Crystal Monsters and closed her eyes. "Crystal Tempus…" she incanted, causing it to form back into the creature. She opened her eyes to see what was happening before rotating her hand in the opposite direction, getting it to revert back into a shard. She turned it back, getting it back into a monster before releasing her grip, causing the shard to fall apart. "That… that can come in handy." She said to Amaru.

"Amaru." Amaru replied in agreement.

"But… I should still take the others up on their advice," Iris said. "Find my _own_ power, something that has never been done before…" she said. "This calls for the gym." She said as she walked away.

* * *

At the same time, Lyna was getting herself a drink of milk. She looked to her stress reliever with interest before squeezing it. As soon as she got the milk out from the refrigerator, she walked over to the counter and got herself a cup. She was about to pour herself some milk until Carissa walked over with a chocolate chip cookie. She took the milk quickly and poured it onto her cookie before putting it back, causing Lyna to gasp as some of it splashed onto her face.

"A little _warning_ next time?" Lyna asked in annoyance.

"Well, maybe give _me_ one next time you decide to effin' levitate me!" Carissa exclaimed. "Can't use the F word for specific reasons, in case you were wondering."

"You are _really_ asking for trouble, Carissa!" Lyna said angrily.

"Says the one who always presses my buttons. Every. Single. Time!" Carissa spat. "Always insulting Calix, always insulting _me!_ How would _you_ like it if I levitated you off the ground?"

"I'm giving you one warning, Carissa," Lyna said as she clenched her stress reliever in one hand while her magic circle lit up in her other, only not so bright. "Hope you're happy."

"I swear, levitate me, and I will punch you so bad you won't have a prayer!" Carissa threatened.

"That's _it!_ " Lyna exclaimed, squishing her stress reliever before holding two of her fingers out. "Crystal Levitus!" she called out, only for nothing to happen. She gasped and looked to her hand. "What?"

At that moment, Carissa sent a punch towards Lyna, who grunted and faltered from the blow. When she got back up, she felt her nose, feeling some blood.

"Wait…" Carissa said in shock. "Did I just… _successfully_ punch you?"

"You should have been up in the air!" Lyna exclaimed. She turned back around. "Crystal Levitus!" she called out again, only for nothing to happen like before. Lyna looked to herself worryingly. "This has never happened before!" she exclaimed. "What the Hell is going on?!"

"You can't _levitate_ me?" Carissa asked. A devious grin came onto her face. "Well, maybe _I_ can levitate _you_ for a change."

Lyna gasped and looked to Carissa. She started to nervously back away from her.

"Now, now, Carissa… let's not do anything we'll regret…" Lyna said as Carissa put up two fingers. "I'm sure, as Iris said, that we can come to a peaceful solution that doesn't involve—"

* * *

Upstairs, Auriana was talking with Talia.

"Don't you think you were a little hard on Iris?" Auriana asked as Talia read through her book. "Sure, she asked about the Azure Age, but that doesn't mean—"

"Iris isn't ready to learn about these things yet!" Talia protested. "If she learns of the dark shit that happened, she may never be focused on her training!" she said before letting out a sigh. "She has to find her own power, find her _own way_."

"I get that you have a lot of stress right now, with Lyna and Carissa to look after," Auriana said. "But how bad can it _be?_ Messing up make-up? Pulling out hair? Ruining the mascara?"

" _ **HELP!**_ " Lyna's voice called out, causing Talia and Auriana to look on with surprise.

"Carissa probably torturing Lyna as payback?!" Auriana exclaimed.

Auriana and Talia ran downstairs to the living room. The two gasped as Lyna was in the air, being thrown around by Carissa, who had two fingers held out in the same way Lyna did.

"Now I see why you do this to me, Lyna," Carissa said. "It's fun!"

"Very funny, Carissa…" Lyna said before letting out a nervous laugh. "Now, please… can you put me down?" she asked, only to get levitated towards a wall, where she was spun around on her head before being floated towards the porch.

"I thought I could just pinch you in the open, but since you can't levitate me…" Carissa started out.

"What do you _mean_ , 'Can't levitate'?" Talia asked.

"Talia!" Carissa exclaimed. She grinned and held her hand up, causing Lyna to go higher before turning around to face Talia and Auriana. "What brings _you_ here?"

"We _live_ here." Talia said in her most deadpan tone.

"Talia, Auriana! Thank goodness you're here!" Lyna called out. "Can you _please_ tell Carissa to put me down?"

"You should have just asked." Carissa said before she stopped the Spell.

"I asked several lines _**AAAAAGGGOOOOOOOOO!**_ " Lyna exclaimed before she was dropped to the ground.

Talia, Auriana and Carissa all looked up as Lyna fell down from the sky. Lyna yelled as she fell towards the pond.

"I'm telling you, Madellaine, I did _not_ order this!" a man said at the house near the pond. "A 'Giant Trampoline' was not on my list of purchases!"

"You know, this is why _I_ do the writing! How else do you think we could have come this far, Jean?" Madellaine asked.

At that moment, Lyna yelled and landed on the trampoline, the couple not noticing her. She sunk into it before she was launched into the air again, yelling once again.

Auriana, Talia and Carissa looked up as Lyna went up again, still yelling for her life.

A group of pigeons was passing by, but Lyna flew into them. They all fluttered in surprise before she finally fell back down again.

At this time, Auriana had made a cootie catcher. She folded it a couple times before showing it to Carissa and Talia. The two picked one of the colors before she folded it a couple more times.

Finally, Lyna fell down again, landing on bags of flour.

Lyna groaned as she got back up. She noticed what she was sitting on before laughing. She looked up. "Did _you_ put all this here for _me?_ " she asked as Talia, Carissa and Auriana continued to play with the cootie catcher. "You must have known that I was coming!" she exclaimed before looking around. "I'm back home," she mused before looking back up. "Now that's what I call a perfect landing." She said before looking away and getting up to make her way towards her friends.

"'On your twentieth birthday, you will be married to Siri'," Auriana read, causing the three girls to recoil in disgust. "I need to write my own fortunes for these things!"

"Got _that_ right," Talia said before seeing Lyna. "Now, how did this happen?"

"One minute, I was trying to levitate Carissa, but I suddenly couldn't do it!" Lyna exclaimed. "I can still feel the _rest_ of my Magic flowing through me… but it's like I can't even do the Levitation Spell anymore!"

"How could this happen?" Auriana asked. "I mean, is it even _possible?_ "

"I don't know," Talia said. "But in the meantime, don't use it again," she ordered Carissa. "I think that after you saw how much Lyna didn't enjoy it, you'll feel the same way she does." She said before she and Auriana walked away.

"Siri's the one in our phones, right?" Auriana asked.

"The day I get married to technology, I'll come running to Izira." Talia mused.

Carissa turned back to Lyna. She held her hand out, causing her to cover her face. However, instead of levitating her again, she let out a sigh.

"They're right," Carissa said. "You have a reason for doing this. I just did it for petty ones."

Lyna looked back up. "You mean… you're _not_ doing this out of spite?" she asked.

"I was going to keep doing it, for sure," Carissa replied. "But up until now, I thought you just hated me. There's something more to it, isn't there?"

"Well, on Borealis, we won 'Best Palace' six years in a row…" Lyna started out. "And we were all about levitation. It's… meant as a first warning not to cross us, but maybe… just maybe… there could be other ways," she explained. "Now that I've felt what you've gone through firsthand… maybe I was a little harsh."

"And I can come off as… odd," Carissa went on. "But I can try to change my attitude," she said before placing her hand on Lyna's shoulder. "Hey, we'll find out what caused this, and make it right again."

Lyna smiled. "Thanks." She said.

Carissa smiled and held her hand out. Instead, Lyna hugged her. Carissa stood shocked for a moment before she eventually smiled and hugged her back.

* * *

Meanwhile, in the Mountains, Krosynis was walking towards a cave. As he was walking, he held out his hand, revealing all of his Followers in each of their respective locations.

"Are you in position?" Krosynis asked.

"We've waited years for this," Nyassa said as she landed in Salem. Everyone around looked to her. "Your plan must not fail, Master."

"I have seen Ephedia until the day I died," Mahria said as she landed in Jamestown. "This is our chance to finally restore it to glory."

Kento landed on Roanoke Island, in the forest. "At long last, we will make Ephedia great again." He said.

"But what of this Gramorr?" Werner asked. "He will not take kindly to this."

"Don't worry, _I'll_ take care of him," Krosynis said. "Just remember to do your part." He said as he aimed his hand to the cave, where Mephisto and Praxina were. Without warning, he shot.

In the caves, Mephisto and Praxina were both drawing out their next plan on the walls.

"See, if we use this creature to capture all the Princesses…" Mephisto started out until the cave was hit.

"What was that?!" Praxina exclaimed.

At that moment, Krosynis, using his human disguise, entered the cave through the smoke. "Look what you've done with the place," he said. "Quite homey… for a dump."

"You're that other Ephedian!" Praxina exclaimed. "How did you find this place?"

"I have my ways," Krosynis said. "Now… take me to Gramorr."

"Oh, we'll take you to Gramorr, alright," Mephisto said. "In chains!"

"Crystal Impaelo!" Krosynis called out, causing crystal spikes to emerge from the ground and pin Mephisto and Praxina to the ceiling.

"Mephisto! Get free!" Praxina ordered.

"I am _trying!_ " Mephisto snarled. "But this is stronger magic! I can't break free!"

"Now… let's try this again," Krosynis said. He floated up and held his hand out to Praxina and Mephisto. He chuckled as he started to probe their minds. "So many ways to be wicked in your thoughts," he said. He noticed the two starting to squirm a little. "Oh, don't worry. I don't lower myself to Black Crystal Magic. This spell can easily extract what I need," he said. "Subvolo…" he said. "Well, there's another Spell for that…" he said as he held his hand out. "Crystal Krosiniox!" he called out, calling forth a portal. "Now, let's pay Gramorr a visit." He said before walking through.

"Krosiniox?" Mephisto asked. "Only one person alive uses that Spell!"

Praxina gasped. "Mephisto… we made a mistake," she said. "We've been trying to track down Krosynis all this time!"

On Ephedia, Gramorr was thinking on his throne. All of a sudden, a golden portal appeared in front of him. Out from it came Chris. He looked to Gramorr and immediately shed his disguise, turning into Krosynis.

"How did you get here?" Gramorr asked. "Only the Heir to Ephedia is welcome here!"

"You only want the heir for their powers," Krosynis said. "I _live_ for power."

Gramorr snapped his fingers, getting Banes to attack Krosynis. However, he just punched Banes in the neck, getting him to actually whimper before sending him to the side.

"What _are_ you?" Gramorr asked.

"You have something I want, Gramorr," Krosynis said. "My crown!"

"What makes you say this is _yours?_ " Gramorr asked. "Only a royal Ephedian can pull it out!"

Krosynis chuckled. "Good thing I'm here, then." He said. He walked over to where the crown was being held and held his hand out to it. He grinned before reaching in and immediately grabbing the crown, as well as every Oracle Gem that was with it so far.

"What?!" Gramorr exclaimed. "How did you—?!"

" _Lord Gramorr!_ " Mephisto called out as he and Praxina appeared in crystals. " _The Ephedian!_ "

"What _about_ him?" Gramorr asked sternly.

" _It's Krosynis!_ " Praxina exclaimed.

Gramorr growled softly as he looked up. "Impossible," he said with surprise. "Morgaine imprisoned you! No one escapes Morgaine!"

"I've wasted seventy years to bring Ephedia to glory!" Krosynis exclaimed. "No one, not you, not my descendant, can stop me."

"We'll see about that." Gramorr said as he snapped his fingers.

At that moment, a guard with an axe ran at Krosynis, only for him to take out his sword and slash it down with one strike.

"That the best you can do?" Krosynis asked.

"Truncolus!" Gramorr exclaimed, sending forth a massive blast towards Krosynis.

Krosynis spun around and held his hand out, stopping the Truncolus attack. He grinned and walked towards Gramorr, letting the blast blow throw the ceiling.

"My ancestors' palace may be yours… but the Kingdom… belongs to **ME!** " Krosynis exclaimed before placing his hand on Gramorr's chest.

Gramorr yelled in pain as magic started to disperse from out of him. He was soon pushed back, causing the wall to crack, before Krosynis took off.

"Finally, my plan is in motion!" Krosynis exclaimed. Before he left the palace, he turned back to Gramorr and held his hand out, grabbing the only Oracle Gem that the Twins managed to steal. "Now… they're all mine."

Krosynis casually walked back into the cave. He looked to Mephisto and Praxina with a devious grin on his face before holding his hand out to them. "Crystal Solvenda!" he called out, freeing them from his trap.

Mephisto and Praxina both fell, looking at Krosynis with horror.

"What have you done?!" Mephisto exclaimed.

"Isn't it obvious?" Krosynis asked. "I've become one step closer to bringing Ephedia back! No more Gramorr, no more Black Crystal magic. Ephedia… will be reborn." He said. He let out a cackle before teleporting away.

"What should we do?!" Mephisto asked as he looked to Praxina.

Praxina only stood in shock. "I… I don't know," she said nervously. "You know Zanavian?" she asked.

"What about him?" Mephisto asked in confusion.

"Krosynis was the one who _murdered_ him," Praxina replied. "That's how powerful he is… it shows we're way in over our heads."

* * *

Meanwhile, Iris was at the gym with Amaru. She ran around the indoor track, circling around a dummy that was made to resemble Gramorr.

"Crystal Offensio!" Iris called out as she ran around. "Crystal Colidum!"

Both the Crystal Offensio and Crystal Colidum attacks hit the Gramorr statue.

"Crystal Retrosum!" Iris continued to call out. "Crystal Colodium!"

Two more attacks hit Gramorr, but as Iris finished casting the two spells, she started to get stronger.

"Crystal Leos! Crystal Dimitam!" Iris called out. "Crystal Protendere! Crystal Ruca! Crystal Oblittero!"

As the five attacks hit Gramorr's statue, Iris's fist started to glow.

"Huh?" Iris asked as she held her hand out. At that moment, a blast equal to the Crystal Luxtra hit Gramorr, blowing him down.

"Oh…" Amaru said with amazement. He wiped his eyes, checking to see if he was imagining things.

"Hmm…" Iris said. She walked towards Gramorr's statue and placed it back upright again. "Maybe…" she started out as she got herself into a running stance. "Go!"

Iris ran around Gramorr a couple of times. "Crystal Colidum! Colodium! Dimitam! Offensio! Leos! Ruca! Protendere! Oblittero!" she called out before her fist lit up again. "Crystempactus!" she yelled, sending forth a more massive blast that sent Gramorr flying.

Iris picked up the Gramorr statue and continued to run again.

"Colidum! Colodium! Dimitam! Offensio! Leos! Ruca! Protendere! Oblittero! Colidum! Colodium! Dimitam! Offensio! Leos! Ruca! Protendere! Oblittero! Colidum! Colodium! Dimitam! Offensio! Leos! Ruca! Protendere! Oblittero!" Iris called out as she ran more rounds around Gramorr. She started to say each one more quickly with each round before stopping. As she did, the magic energy behind her gathered into her fist. "Ultra Crystempactus!" she called out, sending forth an even more powerful attack that actually destroyed the Gramorr statue.

Amaru looked on with amazement. "Whoa! Amaru!" he exclaimed.

Iris panted before looking to her fist. "I think I found my own power." She said to herself happily.

* * *

At this time, Krosynis was now at the top of the tallest Mountain in Sunny Bay. He looked to the Crown of Ephedia before placing the stolen Oracle Gem on it. He place it in front of him and let it float in midair.

"The time is nigh, my Followers!" Krosynis called out, to which only his Followers could hear his cry. "Time to send the people of Earth a message! Prepare yourselves!"

Nyassa cackled madly at the Hanging Tree. " **Xeris**!" she called out, causing the ground to shake.

" **Volta**!" Mahria yelled in the village in Jamestown.

" **Calix**!" Kento called out as he spread his arms out, letting a large Magic Circle appear beneath him.

Werner laughed as he flew into the air. " **Borealis**!" he called out.

All four Followers of Krosynis sent a beam of energy into the air. Krosynis himself laughed as he held up his hands.

" **Ephedia**!" Krosynis called out.

" **CRYSTAL MORDORE**!" Krosynis and his Followers all called out.

* * *

"I can't wait to tell the others!" Iris said to Amaru as they left the gym.

"Amaru." Amaru agreed.

Suddenly, in the sky, a large magic circle started to form. Iris and Amaru looked up with surprise.

"What… what is _that?_ " Iris asked.

Back at Aunt Ellen's house, Ellen was watering the roses. However, her focus was broken when she saw crystal shards fall. She gasped and looked up, seeing the same Magic Circle in the air.

Talia and Auriana were about to go train until they noticed a flash of light from outside. Carissa and Lyna, both in their bedroom, noticed what was going on as well.

At Lily Bowman's mansion, Lily was hanging out with her pet lizard. Suddenly, the two noticed the fire in the sky and looked up.

Nathaniel, Joanna and Nick were all at the Smoothie Bar when they saw the Magic Circle appear in the air.

Everywhere across Sunny Bay, all the people who Iris and her friends helped out started to notice the Magic Circle appear in the air. Iris and Amaru looked to each other worryingly before she dialed onto her phone.

"Guys, can you hear me?" Iris asked as she held her phone to her ear.

"We hear you, Iris." Talia replied.

"Then _please_ tell me you can see this." Iris said.

"What _is_ it?" Auriana asked.

All of a sudden, Iris's pendant started to glow. As it did, the star in Krosynis's left eye glowed as well.

At Aunt Ellen's House, Auriana, Talia, Carissa and Lyna noticed their own charms glowing as well. The four girls gasped with surprise.

Iris noticed that her pendant was glowing brighter than usual. She suddenly saw a large castle over Sunny Bay, followed by an image of her pendant, now broken. The final image that was shown to her was the entire Planet of Ephedia moving toward Earth, followed by eternal darkness.

"It's begun." Krosynis said sinisterly.

Iris gasped as she opened her eyes. She looked around, trying to find the source of the voice that spoke to her. She took out her wand and aimed it around before finding that no one aside from Amaru was with her.

"That was… freaky." Iris said.

"Amaru." Amaru said in agreement.

After a while, the Magic Circle stopped glowing in the air. It soon dispersed and spread throughout the entire Planet.

On Ephedia, Izira and the rest of the Ephedian Resistance noticed the Magic Circle spread across Earth before fading away.

"There's only one person with that mark," Izira said. "We can't let him succeed," she said before looking to a Voltan next to her. "Get me in touch with my Sister," she ordered. "As of now, we all face a threat greater than Gramorr."

* * *

Iris and Amaru walked home. All around them, they could see the police interviewing everyone about what had just happened.

"This is a nightmare, Amaru," Iris said. "One moment, only five people know about Ephedia. Now… it look like _everyone_ knows it."

Amaru grumbled before looking to some television sets broadcasting news.

" _Scientists are baffled by the sudden appearance of what appears to be a sign from the stars to Earth_ ," a news reporter said. " _While no logical explanation can be found for the runes in the sky, there are several historians who say this is the coming of an evil the Earth has never faced before_."

Iris narrowed her eyes at the television sets before noticing another news report.

" _Amateur videos have discovered one of the sources in Salem, Massachusetts_ ," a female news reporter said. " _Other sightings have been found in the Village of Sleepy Hollow and Jamestown. We have word that two more sources have caused the disturbance in the sky, and government officials are looking for them now_."

" _We could be looking at either an invasion force or a prank made by pilots_ ," another reporter said on another screen. " _But we are looking into this to see if there is a relationship with all of the locations we have found so far_."

"This looks serious, Amaru," Iris said as Amaru looked on nervously. "Let's see what the others have to say about this."

"Amaru, Amaru." Amaru said as he and Iris made their way home.

* * *

Krosynis looked up from the mountains. A wide grin came onto his face.

"All is going according to plan," Krosynis said. He looked to where each of the beams came from before his smile faded away. "Someone's missing," he said. "Nathaniel should have become my new Follower by now… unless…" he said to himself. He stopped with shock. "Iris…" he said. He let out a laugh. "This is getting better than I could have hoped for!" he exclaimed. He sighed with satisfaction as he looked back up. "Time to see where she is."

Iris and Amaru were still on their way home. However, as they turned the corner, something caught Iris's eye. She looked to the entrance to a warehouse, where Chris was standing against the doorway. He made no motion to her, but he moved into the Warehouse.

"Chris?" Iris asked. She ran after Chris before stopping and looking back to Amaru. "Amaru, get back to the House," she ordered. "I'll join you there, don't worry about me."

"Maru." Amaru complied before making his way back to Aunt Ellen's House.

Iris turned back around and made her way into the Warehouse.

"Chris?" Iris called out as she entered a corridor. "Are you here?"

"Your music's good, Iris," Chris's voice echoed, causing Iris to gasp. "It's a compliment. Don't look so surprised."

"Have you seen the news lately?" Iris asked. "The World is coming close to finding out about Ephedia… and we're the Aliens here."

"You like songs, so… here's one just for you." Chris said.

At that moment, one of the windows slammed shut. Iris gasped again and looked around. "Come out, Chris!" she called out. "This isn't funny!"

"I want you to know…" Chris's voice came out, causing another window to slam. "All is blacked out… yet continues to grow…" another window slam shut. "I need you to see…" he went on before the door at the end of the Warehouse slammed shut. "Nothing can change… less you believe," the windows slammed again. "I won't let it go… I'll stick to the plan… and then… you will _know_ ," he went on as the door behind Iris closed, as did the rest of the windows. She looked around before the lights in front of her turned on, revealing Chris. "Who… will save you now?"

Iris narrowed her eyes at Chris. "What's the meaning of this, Chris?" she asked as she slowly made her way towards him. "Ephedian Magic was just shown in the sky, and you're joking around. Not. Funny."

"I try not to joke around, Iris," Chris said. "Especially since you have something of mine."

Iris blinked twice. "What?" she asked.

"I should have seen it at Old Town," Chris went on. "Your faster reflexes, only something from a Spell that only _I_ came up with."

"The Spellbook?" Iris asked. "That belongs to the Royal Ephedian Family."

"So did I…" Chris said. "Once upon a time…"

Iris grimaced. "Where are you going with this?" she asked.

Chris chuckled. "I'm sure you've heard of my Story," he said as he started to walk towards Iris. "About a Prince who only wanted what was best for his People… how he was banished for his ideas being to extreme… about being imprisoned by the power of the Crown," he said, causing Iris to narrow her eyes at him. "You think you're the first Ephedian to set foot on Earth? There was only one person who came here before you… and you're talking to him."

Iris's eyes widened. "It can't be…" she said. "They said you were dead! They said you…"

"I was gone… but not forgotten," Chris said before spreading his arms out. "You see, there was never _anyone_ named 'Christopher' from Ephedia. Allow me to properly introduce myself by my _true_ name…" he said before his eye lit up. " **Krosynis! Fallen Prince of Ephedia**!" he called out.

A bright light came from Chris's eye, causing Iris to shield herself from the brightness. When the light cleared, Krosynis stood before her.

"And… your ancestor."

Iris gasped. Her face suddenly turned red with rage before she held up her wand, transforming herself into her Princess Form.

"It was a lie, _**all**_ of it!" Iris yelled. "You destroyed our home!"

"I wanted it to be preserved!" Krosynis argued. He took out his sword and slashed at Iris, who blocked it with her wand before extending it into her own sword. "Ephedia was dying, even _before_ Gramorr came to power, so I sought to seek out another World to expand Ephedia on," he explained, sounding only a little bit calmer. "I found Earth, during the era you call the Great Depression. I could see Wars, people tearing themselves apart. Wars that reflected on our history and the history of other kingdoms were raging across the Planet! Humanity was a lost cause! We could rebuild from their ashes!"

"Well, it looks like humans are doing just fine with _out_ your dictatorship." Iris remarked.

"I've seen your actions," Krosynis went on. "You and I, we're not that different. We both want to take back our Planet, we both want to get back at those who have wronged us, we both help others… and we are the true heirs to the Throne of Ephedia."

"We are _nothing_ alike!" Iris yelled.

"You have followers who want to take back the Throne… and so do I," Krosynis said. "You may not have all of the Oracle Gems yet, but the moment you turn your back on Talia, history _will_ repeat itself!"

Iris narrowed her eyes. She aimed her sword at Krosynis. "This is about the Azure Age, isn't it?" she asked. "But that's all a lie too, isn't it?" she questioned. "You just want me to turn against LoliRock… so I can join _you_."

"I've lied about a great many things, but the Azure Age isn't one of them," Krosynis said. He lifted his star into the air, which glowed the same time his eye did. "If they didn't tell you the truth, it's time that _I_ did!" he exclaimed before everything around them crumbled, showing Ephedia around them.

"What trickery is this?" Iris asked.

"During the time before I rose to power, I was one of the few who survived the Azure Age, a five-year War between Ephedia and its first new-spawned kingdom, Xeris," Krosynis started to explain. "The people of Xeris were not like Ephedians, they were more focused on their work, more intent on victory… and when they disagreed with the King and Queen, my Mother and Father, your ancestral parents… they took the Kingdom," he went on, causing Iris to gasp as blue crystal shards flew past her. "They took the throne easily, and for five years, they ruled over Ephedia, hence the name… the Azure Age. Yes, on the last day, Ephedia came back into power, and while Xeris remains the most trusted kingdom to Ephedia… their usurping of the throne is not to be unnoticed to history. Some see it as a flaw of the trust put in them, but others see it as the one thing that will never make them trust Xeris… and guess which category _I_ fall under."

Iris narrowed her eyes at Krosynis. "You're lying." She said.

"Has Talia refused to tell you the truth?" Krosynis asked. "Has she snapped at you about it?"

Iris was about to argue until she went silent. She turned her head to the side, remembering what Talia said to her.

Iris turned back to Krosynis. "Even still, Earth is our home!" she exclaimed. "We can get Ephedia back, but Earth is our home!"

"On Ephedia we are Gods!" Krosynis yelled. "Here… we bleed."

Iris lowered her voice. "And you think we're above everyone else?" she asked. "Where's the justice in that?"

"There are consequences for trusting someone who has taken the throne, Iris, just as there are consequences for taking my Spellbook," Krosynis said dangerously, causing Iris's eyes to widen. "Return it to me… or die." He said before he started to crystallize.

Iris turned to Krosynis and gasped. His whole body soon turned to crystal, and before she knew it, he shattered. As soon as his body was gone, the Warehouse started to open up again.

"Krosynis…" Iris said to herself. She turned around and reverted back into her human form before sheathing her wand. As soon as she was clear, she walked out of the Warehouse and back to Aunt Ellen's House.

* * *

At the Library at Aunt Ellen's Home, Talia, Auriana, Lyna and Carissa were all gathered together. Amaru ran downstairs and joined them.

"This is bad," Carissa said. "I mean, we _want_ people to like us, but after what went on, they'll start to think we're the enemy."

"We _can't_ be the bad guys…" Auriana said, trying to lighten up the mood. "I mean, if we _were_ , then we wouldn't have gotten all those Oracle Gems."

"Who would want the World to know about Ephedia?" Lyna asked.

" _Krosynis_." Izira's voice said.

Talia gasped as she and the rest of the Princesses turned around, seeing Izira's face appear in the waterfall.

"Izira?" Talia asked. "How'd you get a hold of us?"

" _I have friends in the Resistance who helped me conjure up a Spell to let me communicate with you, and for you to do the same should anything happen on Earth_ ," Izira explained. " _Krosynis was the one who conjured up the Magic Rune. An extremist free from the Past is now roaming your Planet, and I fear that his Followers are with him_."

"But they're all dead, aren't they?" Auriana asked.

" _Nyassa, Mahria, Kento and Werner's Spiritual Semblances departed from the Physical Realm after Morgaine imprisoned Krosynis within the Castle Walls_ ," Izira explained. " _While their bodies died away of old age, their spirits were trapped within an amulet, one that was stolen from us after I sent Lyna and Carissa to help you with your quest on Earth_."

"And you think those cronies were the ones who helped make that Magic Sign?" Carissa asked.

" _It is the only explanation_ ," Izira went on. " _You must prepare for the day he brings his plan into fruition… to make Earth into a new Ephedia_."

"How is that even _possible?_ " Talia asked.

" _As you all know, Ephedia has two Symbols_ ," Izira told everyone. " _The Heart and the Star. Each heir born bore the Heart, but Krosynis embraced the Star. Both symbols symbolize the unification of the Kingdoms. One alone can lead to corruption or the fall of Ephedia. THAT'S why he was imprisoned. His powers would have brought forth the downfall of Ephedia_."

"And if Krosynis is here on Earth, he won't be eager to give up," Talia said before looking to the other Princesses. "Iris will be here soon, so get ready to train," she ordered. "I will join you shortly, I just need to talk with Izira."

Lyna, Carissa and Auriana all nodded. The three went off to the top to train before Talia turned back to Izira.

" _What's wrong, Talia?_ " Izira asked. " _The Twins do something?_ "

"Iris," Talia answered. "She came to me, asking about the Azure Age of Ephedia," she explained. "A new Ephedian, Chris, told her to ask about it. He's a new ally, but I'm troubled that she asked that."

" _Did you tell her what happened?_ " Izira asked as Iris came down the stairs, entering the Library.

"She did," Talia answered. "But I told her to drop it. If she were to bring it up to me again…"

"You'll do _what_ , Talia?" Iris asked, causing Talia to turn around in surprise. Izira had the same expression on her face. "You'll revoke me of my birthright? Sentence me to Treason? _Usurp_ the throne… again?"

"Iris…" Talia said. "How did you—"

"I _know_ about what happened during the Azure Age, Talia," Iris said sternly as Auriana, Carissa and Lyna looked down to see what was happening while Amaru ran up. "I _know_ , that for five years, the Kingdom of Xeris forcefully took the throne of Ephedia and ruled over the Kingdom. I _know_ … that you're a hypocrite for believing Xeris to be a trusted kingdom to Ephedia."

" _Iris, you don't understand_ …" Izira started to say.

"You _want_ me to rule Ephedia after we take down Gramorr, but you'll take the throne again, _won't_ you?!" Iris exclaimed. "I have a right to know about the History of Ephedia, the good _and_ the bad stuff… and I can't be on a team that keeps secrets from me, especially when those secrets are about my Kingdom," she said. "We'll take down Krosynis, we'll take down his Followers, but after that's taken care of, I'm _done_ with LoliRock. Done with you, done… and _over_ with all this," she said before looking up. "Crystal Levitus." She said dryly, flying up to join her friends.

Lyna looked to Iris with shock. _How did she master the levitation spell already?_ She thought to herself.

"Iris, you can't possibly _mean_ that," Auriana said as she walked over to Iris the moment she landed. "What about the Worldwide Performance? What about our future?"

Iris felt a sting in her body for a moment. Eventually, she regained herself. "Say that something happened to Volta, or Borealis, or Calix, Nebularis or Arusta," she said. "And Talia knew all about what happened. What would you do? What would _any_ of you do, if she knew, and never told you?" she asked, getting everyone quiet. "I want to trust you… but we can't keep secrets from each other." She said before getting into her Princess Form without a word.

Talia looked up to everyone, who looked back down to her in return. A tear fell from her eye as Izira looked to her. She eventually walked away.

"Train without me," Talia said. "I need to clear my head."

Iris ran at some crystal monsters. Taking out her wand, she spun it around and let the blade extend, forming her royal sword. She yelled and ran towards the monsters, in which everyone else followed.

* * *

Elsewhere, near the Lake, Krosynis was walking in the air. He looked down as the water rippled. He let out a scoff before flying down, where an image of a familiar redheaded woman appeared.

"Hello, Morgaine," Krosynis said. "I hear you don't visit as much as you used to now."

" _And I see you are free_ ," Morgaine said. " _Whatever you are planning, whatever you have in mind… know that like before… this is not going to go… the way you think!_ "

"You stole the throne from me!" Krosynis yelled. "Every plan I had to rebuild Ephedia was destroyed by _you!_ "

" _Your delusions blind you, Krosynis_ ," Morgaine said sternly. " _I may not be in the physical realm to fight the evils that plague Ephedia now, but know that your vision will destroy you_."

"Not me… just you." Krosynis said before blasting the lake.

The lake started to freeze up, not in ice, but in golden crystals. Soon, the whole lake was golden. Krosynis flipped into the air with his fist lit up.

"Crystempactus!" Krosynis called out, punching at the lake and shattering it, leaving a crater in the wake of it destruction.

" _Don't think you can escape destiny… nephew_." Morgaine's voice said.

Krosynis scoffed. "I know my Destiny," he said. "You're no part of it."

* * *

Back at Aunt Ellen's House, Iris was in her room, looking out as it rained in the night. She read intently through her Spellbook while Amaru cuddled next to her. She looked to him as he shook the rainwater off of his body.

"It's okay, Amaru," Iris said. "You're safe now."

" _But how do you think Iris could do it so easily?_ " Iris heard Lyna say. She narrowed her eyes before getting away from her window to get on the ground and place her ear on it, trying to hear what was being said. " _One moment, I can levitate fine. The next, Iris somehow MASTERED it!_ "

"What?" Iris asked.

"I'm not sure, Lyna, but she's been practicing a lot," Talia said. She put some books in her bag before letting out a sigh. "And she's been doing a damn good job at it too."

" _Are you sure about this, Talia?_ " Izira asked through the waterfall as Iris walked down to listen more closely. " _I can come to Earth, help explain things to her. You don't have to_ —"

"It won't change what Iris already knows," Talia said. She looked up the stairs, just as Iris turned her head away just in time. "I know she can hear me, so I'll just say it for you to tell the others," she said to Lyna. "Tomorrow, I'll be leaving Earth to go back to Ephedia. She was right about me being secretive. Xeris had deceived Ephedia all those years ago, and from what we both know from History, I don't think I could trust myself either."

"But you _can't_ leave!" Lyna exclaimed. "What if we need to do the Quinta again? Or the Luxtra? It _can't_ be done without a royal of Xeris!"

"You'll find a way," Talia said. "But right now, I need to make sure Iris can be around people she trusts… and I'm not one of them."

Iris's heart sank. She quietly went upstairs, tears streaming down her face. She wiped them away before going to her bedroom. As soon as she entered, she let out a sad sigh. "Come on out, Auriana."

Auriana came out from Iris's closet. "Are you really going to let this get in the way of our friendship?" she asked. "Think of the good things we've done with Talia! We can't go on without her!"

Iris stood silent for a moment. "I need to leave too," she said, causing Auriana to gasp. "A lot has been going on, and I'm not sure I'll be ready to take on Krosynis."

Auriana felt her heart sink. "Please… at least stay and think about it," she said as she made her way towards the door. "We're not just Princesses… we're LoliRock."

Iris nodded as Auriana left the room. She walked over to get her clothes for her shower before suddenly feeling a pain in her leg. She felt her leg before feeling blood drip from her nose. She raised an eyebrow in confusion before walking to get her pajamas.

Iris walked out and into the bathroom. She got into the shower and removed her shoes before turning it on, removing her shirt and skirt, revealing some panties underneath. As she was about to remove her undershirt, she felt the pain again. She looked to her leg as it suddenly turned to gold crystal.

"Wh… what's going on?" Iris asked. She tried to move, but was suddenly unable to. She held her hand to her leg, starting to panic. "Crystal Sol— Augh!" she yelled in pain as the gold crystals spread even further. She tried to shake it off of her leg, only managing to knock the curtains down and the shower head to drop. Now in even more pain, she dropped to the ground. "Help!" she called out. "Anyone!"

Talia was just coming up the stairs. She felt her heart sink with guilt and remorse before turning to head to her room. However, she felt something soak into her shoe.

"What?" Talia asked as she lifted up her foot to feel the water. She turned around and noticed water coming out of the shower. "Anyone there?" she asked. "Are you decent?" she asked again before tapping the door, finding it open. She backed away before looking down with shock, seeing Iris on the ground, almost paralyzed. "Iris!" she exclaimed.

"H-h-h-help!" Iris begged before letting out a yell. "I can't _move!_ "

"Iris!" Talia exclaimed. She dropped her bag and got down. "Hold on! I've got you!"

"What's going on?" Auriana asked as she ran towards the scene, Lyna and Carissa coming up the stairs at the same time. "Who y—?" she asked before seeing Iris. "Oh my God!"

" _Help me!_ " Iris called out weakly.

"What _is_ this?" Carissa asked.

"I don't know, but I'm going to try and fix it!" Talia exclaimed. She placed her hand on Iris's leg. "I know this has been tough… but I need you to trust me," she told Iris calmly. "You're right to hate me after realizing the truth about Xeris, and I should have been more open," she said. "I'm going to make this right, I promise."

"Talia… I'm sorry." Iris said before letting out a yelp.

"Is it a cramp?" Lyna asked.

"She's… dying!" Auriana exclaimed. "Talia!"

"Straighten your leg, Iris," Talia said, which Iris did. "Crystal Reverto, Nox Barada, Solvenda Maxima!" she yelled, causing a large Blue Magic Circle to appear.

Iris continued to moan before the gold crystal around her leg started to fade away. As it did, the water stopped running, and everything went back to where they originally were. She weakly opened her eyes and looked up.

"Iris?" Lyna asked.

"Are you okay?" Talia asked.

Unknown to everyone, in the air above the center of Sunny Bay, Krosynis was watching from a magic probe over his hand.

Iris stood in surprise. "You saved me," she said. "After all I said, you saved me?"

"You were right that I was too secretive," Talia said. "We're friends, and friends help each other, no matter what."

Iris smiled. "Yeah… we are," she said. "Which is why I need to reveal my _own_ secret."

"What do you mean?" Talia asked. She held out her hand to Iris, who grabbed it. The Xerin Princess helped her back onto her feet.

"You need to see what I've been practicing with." Iris said.

* * *

Krosynis narrowed his eyes. "What are you doing?" he asked quietly.

Iris led everyone into her room. She took out the Spellbook from her bag and showed it to everyone, causing them to gasp.

"I found this Spellbook a couple of days ago," Iris said. "I thought it belonged to you, Talia, but I found Spells in there that made me powerful… and used one that was possibly the cause of Lyna losing her levitation Spell," she said. "The Crystal Power Grab Spell."

"Iris… that's a spellbook only known to be used by one person…" Talia said. "Those Spells are powerful, but they were used for the darkest purposes… and they were used by Krosynis."

"I know," Iris said. "And I have also learned that Chris is a false name. He's actually Krosynis."

"What?" Auriana asked.

"I take back _everything_ I ever said about him being cute!" Lyna exclaimed angrily.

"And I think that the Crystal Power Grab Spell is why Lyna's powers aren't working," Iris said. "I used it to imitate her flying during one of my training sessions today."

"How does that _work?_ " Carissa asked.

"I don't know, but one thing's for sure…" Talia said before looking to Iris, who turned away with a guilty look on her face. Talia smiled and placed her hand on her shoulder. "I'm glad you told us."

Iris turned back. "You're not upset?" she asked.

"You're not the only one who's made mistakes," Talia said. "We _all_ have today. We're all still learning, and that's what makes us human."

Iris smiled and nodded. "I'm sorry for lashing out at you," she apologized. "I'm hoping for you to stay… for all our sakes."

"I will," Talia said. "Since Krosynis is here, we're going to have to be at the top of our game to take him down."

"Amen, hallelujah." Iris replied, causing everyone to laugh.

Krosynis clenched his fist, shattering the screen he was using to see what was going on.

"Guess that wasn't enough to eliminate the threat," Krosynis said to himself. A grin came onto his face. "But not to worry. There's always more than one way to get what I want."

* * *

Meanwhile, Mephisto and Praxina were busy at their Cave. Gramorr looked to them weakly from the Waterfall.

"How can we take on someone like Krosynis?" Mephisto asked. "If he was powerful enough to get in our heads _and_ take down Lord Gramorr, what chance do we have?"

" _Krosynis will be trying to complete his Plan, to turn Earth into his own Ephedia_ ," Gramorr said. " _And whatever else there is for his plan, he needs the Crown and the Gems we have so far_."

"That's not good enough," Praxina said. "He sent out a whole _message_ to Earth that lets the Earthlings know about Ephedia."

" _Whatever the reason is, you must take back the Gems AND the Crown_ ," Gramorr said. " _Without it, I am weakened here. We have already suffered too many losses. One against Krosynis can't be another one_."

"But… but what about the Princesses?" Mephisto asked. "They'll be trying to stop him too! Shouldn't we be joining forces with them?"

" _ **DO NOT QUESTION ME!**_ " Gramorr yelled. " _Once they learn he has the Crown, they will try to take it for themselves, and prevent us from taking over Ephedia_ ," he explained. " _I don't care if we share a common enemy… considering what you two did to the last ones_ ," he said sternly, causing Praxina to glare at Mephisto for the incident with Deinos and Kakos. " _Nothing must stand in our way of conquering Ephedia!_ " he exclaimed before fading away.

* * *

Back at Aunt Ellen's House, Iris was on the roof, looking to Krosynis's Spellbook. She read through the Spells as Amaru and Auriana came up.

"Can't sleep?" Auriana asked.

"I was too busy thinking about Krosynis," Iris explained as she turned to Auriana before the two looked to the Grimoire. "I guess this explains it."

"We know that it's too dangerous to hold onto," Talia said. "You might not have used each Spell at full capacity, but we can't take any risks by keeping it."

Iris and Auriana both turned to see Talia levitate herself onto the roof. She leapt off of her diamond and walked towards the two.

"I know," Iris said. She looked to the Spellbook. "But think about what it would have been like if it _weren't_ evil," she tried to reason before seeing strange symbols appear. "We could have done some good…" she started out before seeing more strange symbols. She flipped through each page, seeing a different symbol each time before seeing a page with her pendant, only broken into two cracked pieces. She gasped and stumbled back, summoning her sword, much to Auriana and Talia's surprise.

"What did you see?" Talia asked.

"A nightmare…" Iris said. "This book _has_ to go!" she exclaimed before tossing it out in front of her. She twirled around her sword and tossed it right into it, destroying it immediately. As soon as her sword was called back to her, the remains of the book shattered into pink crystals. She let out a sigh as she got onto her knees. "It will be a while before I trust another Spellbook." She mused.

Talia chuckled. "Well, your growth in Power didn't just come from that book," she said. "I feel like you've been doing something else too."

"What?" Auriana asked with confusion.

"You can't rely on something like that to become better," Talia said as she walked up to Iris, placing her hand on her shoulder. "You've been doing what we've wanted… finding your _own_ power."

Iris turned around. "So, we might actually have a chance to defeat Krosynis?" she asked.

Talia smiled. "I won't be nice to you," she warned playfully. "We'll be balancing out training and rehearsing every day until the Concert comes… but I'm glad that we're friends again."

Iris smiled. "Good night." She said.

"Night!" Auriana called out as she went back to her room.

"Sleep well, Iris," Talia said. She walked towards the edge of the roof before turning back. "And… good luck." She said before finally heading back to her room.

Iris looked to Talia and smiled. She got back up and looked to the moon. "We're ready for you, Krosynis." She said with confidence.

* * *

The next morning, Iris's alarm clock went off. She pressed the snooze button and got up, stretching her arms and letting out a yawn. A smile came onto her face before she got out of bed and slid towards her closet door. She opened it up and chose out her fingerless gloves from her _Higher_ Performance, a jacket from her _Revolution_ performance, her top from her _Best Friends Forever_ Performance and her shoes from the performances for _Celebrate_. She placed them together on a mannequin and put a label on it, reading _**For the Big Concert**_ on it.

After choosing her clothes, Iris finished up her shower. She picked up her brush and started to sing a mashup of all the songs she and LoliRock had performed so far, her voice causing the water to dance as she got dressed. While her clothes came to her, her toothbrush moved to brush her teeth. It only took until she was dressed for her to be done brushing before she made her way downstairs.

Downstairs, Lyna was with Carissa, making the pancakes. While Carissa was using two pans to make them, twirling them around like she did with her clubs, Lyna was happily levitating each pancake into the air. The two looked to each other and nodded, tossing their pancakes up. Carissa tossed one of her clubs into the air as Lyna tossed her Ring, cutting each pancake into the shape of each Princesses' symbol before they perfectly landed on everyone's plates.

"So, ready for training, Iris?" Talia asked as Iris ate her pancakes.

"First, I'm gonna go and see Nathaniel, then go out for a jog from there," Iris said. "I'll be back for training at one, at least."

"Whatever it takes to be ready for Krosynis." Auriana said.

"Go for it, girl!" Talia cheered.

Outside, Iris started to walk towards the Smoothie Bar. On her way, she saw Ella and hi-fived her. She noticed Lisa walking by and fist-bumped her before seeing Clara, who offered her a Rose. She smiled and twirled around, handing it to Gina and Charlie. The two waved to her happily before suddenly seeing Carlos trying to pick his stuff up while on an intersection. She ran over and helped him with his stuff, stopping the incoming vehicles from running over them. Carlos sent Iris a nod of appreciation before she headed down the street.

Zack was playing guitar for some people who had gathered around. Iris looked over and tossed five dollars into his case, causing him to smile. She sent him a salute in return before joining Belina, Rose and Olivia in their hopscotch game. After hopping across all the squares, she twirled around as a butterfly flew by. She let it sit on her nose before finally making her way into the Smoothie Bar, where she spun around and sat in her seat at the counter just as Nathaniel turned around with some Smoothies.

"Hey, Iris," Nathaniel said. "You look happy."

Iris blushed. "Sure am," she replied. "The girls and I are getting ready for the Concert, and I feel like nothing can stop me!"

"Care to repeat that?" Doug asked. Iris turned to see Doug filming her with his new phone. "Oh, right. Privacy," he said, pulling his phone away. "Sorry."

"That's okay," Iris said. "In fact, I want you to tell our Viewers about the upcoming Concert."

"Really?!" Doug exclaimed. "I'm your guy! What do you need me to say?"

"In a week, we will be performing at Riverdale Stadium for the Worldwide Concert," Iris said. "Get your tickets ready, because this will be our best show yet!"

"Done and done!" Doug said as he typed on his phone. "Can't wait to see it myself!"

"Yeah," Nathaniel said. "Oh, by the way, you hear from Chris?"

Iris grimaced on the inside, but tried to keep her anger contained on the outside. "He said he had to leave town," she said. "He only got to be here for a couple days, and he doesn't know when he'll be back."

"Okay," Nathaniel said. "Just wondering."

Iris nodded and drank her smoothie. "Well, I'd better be off on my jog," she said. "I'm way overdue on my morning workout."

"Have a good run!" Nathaniel said as Iris got up.

Iris looked to Nathaniel and smiled. "How about later this week, before the Concert, we see a movie or something?" she asked. "You know, get a little time to ourselves?"

"That sounds perfect!" Nathaniel exclaimed. "I'll check with my Boss and then see what he says."

"Stoked!" Iris exclaimed. "Catch you later!" she called out before running out.

Doug looked to Nathaniel. "You know, it's been years since you two developed a crush," he said. "Ever gonna ask her to be your girlfriend?"

"I'm trying to take it steady," Nathaniel said. "Besides, I like to take things steady… be in the long run."

* * *

Outside, Iris started to get into a running stance. She felt the wind blow through her hair and a rhythm flow through her heart. Feeling the pace within her, she took off.

Iris ran from the Smoothie Bar to further downtown, where she leapt over some cones for construction. As she got over them, she ran towards a sign and hit her hand on it, having made half a mile before running into the park, where she joined a group practicing yoga. After doing a few routines, she continued to run, where she ran into Rebecca at the college. The two did a chest bump before she ran across the stones on the pond. She got a little wet, but she continued to run, eventually reaching the old abandoned street. She turned the corner and held her hand out, shooting a few crystal blasts forward. Narrowing her eyes, she slid and grabbed one of them before grabbing another. She turned to the alley and used them as bars to hold onto the walls before heading under a bridge. As soon as she passed it, she leapt off the ledge and towards the bridge.

Iris landed on the bridge and ran towards where a train was passing on the other side. As soon as she got to the other side, she leapt onto it, getting onto the third car. Maintaining her balance, she sent a kick into the air before spinning around, throwing a punch. She threw a couple more martial arts moves before backflipping to the last car, getting onto the walkway just in time as the train entered a tunnel.

Iris came out of the tunnel with the train, getting off and heading back towards her home. She saw the skate park next to her and ran towards it, jumping into Nick's skateboard. Nick looked to her and cheered her on as she started to shred it, performing several feats on the skateboard. She even managed to slide on the railing before running towards the half-pipe, skating even more. As she went into the air, she spun into the air for a while before landing down on the skateboard again, skating back to Nick and handing his board back to him before running back down the street.

* * *

Iris made it back home, where Aunt Ellen was outside, watering the plants. She walked over and kissed her Aunt on the cheek before making her way inside.

"Love you, Aunt Ellen!" Iris called out.

"Love you too, sweetie." Aunt Ellen called back.

Inside of the Magic Training Room, Iris ran from blasts sent by Lyna and Carissa. She stopped to form a shield on her arm before taking out her Wand.

"Crystal Colidum!" Iris called out, sending forth her blast.

Lyna was able to fly out of the way, but Carissa was pushed back. As she got up, Iris ran at her and leapt off of her to get to Lyna.

"Crystemsabrus!" Iris called out, spinning around and making her way towards Lyna.

Lyna gasped and tossed her Ring, but Iris slashed it aside before kicking her to the floor.

"Job well done, Iris," Talia said. "If I were the Twins right now…" she said as summons of the Twins appeared. "You'd be in trouble."

"That's what _they_ would think," Iris said. "I've been practicing a new Spell I discovered lately."

"From Krosynis's Spellbook?" Auriana asked.

"No, on my own," Iris replied. "Watch."

The summons of the Twins fired at Iris as she ran towards them, but she lit up her hands with Magic Circles over them. She started to run around the Twins, who still fired at her.

"Crystal Colidum! Crystal Colodium! Crystal Offensio! Crystal Dimitam! Crystal Leos! Crystal Ruca! Crystal Protendere! Crystal Oblittero!" Iris called out as she started to circle around the fake Mephisto and Praxina. "Crystal Colidum! Crystal Colodium! Crystal Offensio! Crystal Dimitam! Crystal Leos! Crystal Ruca! Crystal Protendere! Crystal Oblittero!" she called out, only faster this time. "Crystal Colidum! Crystal Colodium! Crystal Offensio! Crystal Dimitam! Crystal Leos! Crystal Ruca! Crystal Protendere! Crystal Oblittero! Crystal Colidum! Crystal Colodium! Crystal Offensio! Crystal Dimitam! Crystal Leos! Crystal Ruca! Crystal Protendere! Crystal Oblittero!" she called out, saying each Spell faster each time.

"What's she up to?" Carissa asked.

"I don't know," Talia replied. "But I've never seen anything like this before, not even from any Ephedian History."

After five more runs, Iris reappeared in front of the Twins, her fist lit up and gathering the Magic Energy she had used from her Spells.

"Ultra Crystempactus!" Iris called out, sending forth her new special attack.

The Ultra Crystempactus Attack flew towards the Twins, sending them flying backwards. They bumped along the ground several times before hitting the pillar, getting knocked out before they were summoned away.

"Whoa!" Amaru exclaimed.

"Wow, that is a _mazing!_ " Auriana exclaimed.

"Iris…" Talia said in shock before a smile came across her face. "That was amazing!" she exclaimed. "How did you learn to do that?"

"I was training one day, and I started to use all the Spells that I had mastered so far," Iris explained. "Well, I was using nine of the best ones, but when I started to use them all at once, I used Crystempactus to gather the energy used from them, and I came up with the Ultra Crystempactus Spell."

"Iris, I think you just created your own Spell!" Lyna exclaimed. "That hasn't been done in over a million years!"

"And she means that literally," Auriana side-noted. "Ephedians can live for a very long time."

"The downside?" Iris asked as she started to pant. "It takes a lot out of me."

"Well, I suggest you keep practicing it," Talia said. "But in the meantime…" she started out before holding her hand out. "Staff of Xeris!" she called out, summoning her staff. "En garde!"

Iris chuckled before taking out her wand. She was about to use her Crystemsabrus Spell until Talia attacked. Iris gasped and held up her Wand, blocking the attack. She backed away and spun around, summoning the blade for her sword. She slashed back at Talia, who parried off her attacks before striking back again, only with her staff in double-sided scythe mode.

"Whoa!" Iris exclaimed as she held up her sword. She held her other hand out, summoning a crystal shard. "I learned _this_ one from our _own_ books!" she quipped before turning the shard into another sword. She used both of her blades to slash at Talia, sending her back.

"Not bad," Talia said. "I just hope we're ready to take on Krosynis."

* * *

Meanwhile, Aunt Ellen was driving towards the Beach. She noticed the large crater caused by Krosynis the day before and exited her car. She walked out towards it, narrowing her eyes before suddenly hearing something. She gasped and ran back into the car, seeing four Ephedians fly in the air towards where Krosynis was floating. He turned and smiled as his Followers came to him before he floated down. The Followers did the same, with Nyassa landing on top of a damaged structure.

"We live to serve you, Krosynis!" Nyassa said before the rest of the Followers landed and bowed towards their Master.

"All is in place," Werner said. "Soon, my friend, we will be able to proceed with our plan."

"Excellent," Krosynis said. "But our circle is not complete… yet," he said. "We still have yet to gain the other half of Ephedia, the one who will erect the Castle."

"What?" Aunt Ellen asked as she listened from afar.

"The heir of the Future…" Kento said.

"The Princess…" Mahria added on sinisterly.

"Yes," Krosynis said. "Soon, Earth will be gone, like the lost Gems, and the Crown that empowers them."

"How do we get her?" Nyassa asked as she leapt down. "I have felt the bond between her and her friends mend itself."

"Nothing I can't fix," Krosynis said. "Gather our new soldiers," he ordered. "I have business to attend to. Proceed with the rest of the plan until I return."

"Hmm…" Aunt Ellen said. She started her car, only for the engine to stall.

"What was that?" Kento asked.

"Look!" Mahria called out, seeing Aunt Ellen drive away.

"Just a Human. Leave her," Krosynis said. "Now… do not fail me again, my friends," he said sternly. "Ephedia must once again be strong!"

* * *

Next day, Iris was once again running, this time with Carissa. The two looked to each other and smiled before they came into the open field near Lily Bowman's Mansion. The two looked to each other with competitive grins on their faces before running across.

After the morning run, Iris was at the gym, where the rest of the Girls were training. She ran around another crystal statue of Gramorr, using the nine Spells she harnessed while Amaru watched her and stood on a stopwatch. After running nine times, she stopped and looked to him. Amaru smiled and tossed the stopwatch to her.

"Six minutes," Iris said. "Let's try to do better."

The day after, Mephisto and Praxina were flying across town, searching for Krosynis. As they were, a bus was coming by, picking up several passengers.

" _Bus to Heatherfield leaving in five minutes_." The PA said.

A dark-skinned girl walked towards the bus. She looked to the picture she had in her locket, depicting a woman under a door with a crack on it. She took a deep breath before getting onto the bus, which took off the moment she left.

Following that day, Iris was at the beach, practicing several of her spells combined with martial arts moves. She spun around and grabbed a wooden staff, twirling it around before using it in conjunction with her sword. She swung both weapons forward while letting out more Spells.

Unknown to Iris, Krosynis was watching her. He also took notice of Talia, who was keeping an eye on her. Without a word, he teleported away.

The day afterwards, Talia was walking out of the bookstore with Kyle by her side.

"You gonna be there?" Talia asked Kyle.

"I wouldn't miss it!" Kyle said before walking away. "And thanks for the tickets."

"Any time," Talia replied. "Thanks again!"

As Kyle was walking away, Krosynis teleported on the roof behind Talia. He immediately, held his hand out, using a Spell to scan her. Talia did not notice for a moment and walked away, but Krosynis finished his scan. As he teleported, Talia turned around, feeling as if she were being watched. However, when she turned around, there was no one there.

"That was… odd." Talia said to herself before walking away.

A couple more days passed, and by then, it was less than a week until the Concert. It was early in the morning that day, and Iris was just getting out of bed. She let out a yawn and walked to her closet. She looked to the clothes she had set up for the upcoming Concert before getting her usual clothes for the day. As she was heading to the bathroom to take her morning shower, she and Talia ran into each other.

"Another day, huh?" Talia asked.

"Yep," Iris said. "I have some plans for the clothes we can use for the Concert. I can show them to you and Auriana when I get back from the Smoothie Bar."

"Sure thing," Talia said. She and Iris remained quiet for a moment before looking to each other again. She was the first to speak. "Listen, about what happened with the Azure Age, I'm sorry I snapped."

"I'm sorry that _I_ snapped in the first place," Iris said. "I don't care what happened back then. I just hope we can still be LoliRock."

"More than LoliRock, more than Princesses…" Talia said. "We need to be friends."

Iris chuckled. "~BFF, we are true-true friends~" she sang.

"~BFF, friendship never ends~" Talia finished up before the two made their separate ways.

As this was happening, Krosynis was watching over Iris.

"Having second thoughts?" Krosynis asked from the mountain where he and his Followers made the Royal Ephedian Symbol. He gritted his teeth. "Time for a little negative… persuasion." He said before straightening his collar. As he did, he started to change form. His Caucasian skin turned to brown, and his gold hair turned to brown as well. He also changed from male to female. Within a matter of seconds, he now had the form of Talia. Grinning, Krosynis as Talia walked off the edge of the mountain and into the water, where he vanished.

* * *

Back in Sunny Bay, Iris was visiting the Smoothie Bar. Nathaniel was there, waiting for her. As soon as Iris got in, she suddenly noticed the news report, screens of the Magic Circle made by Krosynis and his Followers appearing in the background.

"What's going on?" Iris asked Joanna as she noticed her talking to Nathaniel.

"These signs… they've been appearing in more places than here in Sunny Bay for the past week," Joanna explained. "A lot of stranger things have been happening ever since they appeared."

"Like what?" Iris asked.

"Well, for one, Roanoke Island has risen higher than it was before," Tim explained. "All plants in Sleepy Hollow have been rising, and the Hanging Platforms in Salem are turning to dust."

"Jamestown has been experiencing shortages of fruit in its soils," Nathaniel went on. "But so far, Sunny Bay, where people are saying the Magic Circle has been appearing, hasn't even been experiencing _any_ unnatural occurrences so far."

"That _is_ strange," Iris said. She looked to the screen and noticed a reporter talking about the Magic Circles more. "What's been going on over there?"

"They're saying that Theologians have found something," Nathaniel explained. "This was seen during the forties before, but the government kept it a secret so as not to disturb the populace."

"What does it mean?" Iris asked. "Come on, guys. We've been friends for all of our lives. We share secrets a lot."

"Well, there have been rumors over ethereal sites that, when signs like these start to show…" Joanna started out.

"The end from another World comes to reign death on all people of Earth." Nathaniel finished up.

 _It's coming faster than I thought_. Iris thought to herself. "Well, we can't worry about that," she said. "I'm sure that…"

"No, Iris, I'm sorry," Tim said. "There's no bright outlook on the situation this time."

"The military is already on its way to occupy Sunny Bay right now," Joanna said worryingly. "I'm sorry to say this, but your Concert might have to be postponed."

Iris nodded. "I know," she said. All of a sudden, something caught her eye. She turned around and gasped. "I have to go." She said before running out.

* * *

Iris ran out of the Smoothie Bar. She turned around the corner, finding herself on the path to the abandoned street. She started to shiver, cuddling herself for warmth.

"I'm very disappointed in you, Iris," Talia's voice said, causing Iris to jump in surprise. She gasped and turned around to see Talia standing behind her. "You're choosing Earth over Ephedia."

"I've made a lot of mistakes, Talia…" Iris started out.

"More than a lot," Talia said. "You've been talking with the _enemy_ behind our backs!" she exclaimed, causing Iris to raise an eyebrow. "You knew what you were in for when you took up the title of Heir of Ephedia," she reminded her. "If you didn't have the guts to take the job… you shouldn't have taken the oath."

"I didn't _know_ it would be forever!" Iris argued, feeling offended.

"Forever or a day, we have to be ready to make the ultimate choice for Ephedia," Talia said. "Auriana gave up her family, Carissa and Lyna their kingdom, and me… my Sister," she listed. "You? You gave up _nothing_ ," she hissed. "We toil in your shadow while you bathe in everything on Earth."

"I don't need this from you." Iris remarked, walking past Talia.

"What you _need_ is a lesson in priorities," Talia remarked. "Defend yourself."

Iris turned around. "What?" she asked.

Talia held out her arm with her bracelet on it. It sparked with magic energy before it flowed through her. " **Talia, Princess of Xeris**!" she called out. She spread out her arms, gaining her Princess Dress.

"Fine, if _that's_ how you want it!" Iris exclaimed as she spread her arms out. " **Iris, Princess of Ephedia**!" she called out, transforming into her Princess Form.

"Ephedia comes first," Talia said. "Killing _Gramorr_ comes first. Krosynis is _lint_ compared to him… and right now, the decision for Earth or Ephedia lies upon us… you chose the wrong Planet."

"Is this your way of saying history repeats itself?" Iris asked. "By starting the _new_ Azure Age of Ephedia?!"

Talia chuckled.

"You're no better than Krosynis!" Iris exclaimed.

"Is that so?" Talia asked. She spun around her staff and held it out in front of her. "Crystemsabrus!" she called out, forming the two scythes on the ends of her staff. She yelled and ran towards Iris, slashing at her. "It's Ephedia or Earth! You have only one more chance to decide!" she exclaimed before kicking her toward the alley. "I'm kind to those who deserve it," she mocked. " _You_ don't. You deserve only con _tempt!_ " she exclaimed before running at her again.

Iris grunted. " _Don't_ judge me!" she exclaimed as she took out her Wand. "Crystemsabrus!" she called out, forming her sword just as Talia struck at her again.

Iris pushed Talia off of her and spun around, kicking her away. Talia leapt over Iris's leg before the two clashed blades with each other. Iris pressed against Talia, only for Talia to place her Staff into her right hand. Iris gasped as Talia sent a punch towards her face. She was about to punch again, only for Iris to grab her fist.

"Fool." Talia spat.

Iris gasped before Talia spun her around, causing her to land on the ground. As she was getting back up, Talia placed her foot on Iris's back before kicking her, causing her to roll away.

"You can't even _fight_ well." Talia spat as she walked away.

Iris got up and yelled, slashing at Talia again before punching her in the chest.

"I thought we got past our issues… but maybe I was _wrong!_ " Iris exclaimed before slashing at her, pressing her blade on her staff.

Talia chuckled once again. "You may be the heir… but not even _you_ get any special treatment!" she exclaimed.

"Shut up!" Iris exclaimed, swinging Talia's staff into the air. The Xerin Princess gasped before Iris punched her back, just as her Staff landed in front of her. "Lay off me." She said as she walked away.

"So is it Earth or Ephedia?" Talia asked, causing Iris to stop. "Where you grew up, or the Planet you call Home?"

"Drop it!" Iris yelled.

"You're not the only one with special needs, you know," Talia spat before getting up and grabbing her staff. She ran at Iris and slashed at her multiple times. "Remember… Ephedia comes first," she said as Iris fell to her knees. "I hope you learned something today."

Iris panted as she looked up. "More than you _know_ …" she said.

Talia chuckled and walked away. "See you at the Bar." She said.

Iris growled as it started to rain. After a couple flashes of lightning, Talia disappeared.

Talia walked around the corner of a building, changing shape. She grinned as she turned into Krosynis. He laughed and teleported away.

* * *

At the crater, Nyassa, Mahria, Kento and Werner were all waiting with the new followers for Krosynis to arrive. As soon as he did, they all bowed before him.

"Your followers, as promised." Nyassa said.

Krosynis grinned as he floated towards his new Followers. "I stand before you today to celebrate," he said. "By joining me, you have given up your humanity."

"Prince?" one of the men asked.

"See, in order for Ephedia to survive… we need humans," Krosynis went on. "And there can't be a kingdom… without an army."

All of the gangsters looked to each other with confusion before Krosynis blasted all of them. The gang cried out in pain as blood started to pour out of them. Within a matter of minutes, the blood turned to black, as did their eyes. They all stood before Krosynis before turning into black, monstrous skeletal figures. Purple crystals grew on their legs before each gaining either a claw or club on their left hand and a shield on their right. Their faces fell off, being replaced with a white face with either red or purple lines and eyes.

"Now… for the Heart…" Krosynis said to himself as the Military started to arrive in Sunny Bay.

* * *

Later on, Iris was walking back to the Smoothie Bar. She shivered as the rain fell down. She started to think back to what Talia said.

" _Ephedia comes first_ …"

The words echoed in Iris's head. She continued to walk before stopping to look at her pendant. She noticed it glowing brightly, somewhat warming her from the cold rain. However, as she continued to look at her pendant, it started to spark the moment she thought about her life on Earth. When she thought about Ephedia, what Auriana and Talia showed her when they first met, it glowed brighter. She continued to look at it as she made her way into the Smoothie Bar, where Talia was waiting for her at the doorway.

"Iris, there you are!" Talia exclaimed, causing Iris to tense up. "Did you hear the news? The Military is coming to Sunny Bay! This just made our mission a hell of a lot harder."

"Ephedia comes first…" Iris muttered to herself, causing Talia to raise an eyebrow in confusion.

Nathaniel walked over to Talia. "What's with Iris?" he asked.

"I… don't know." Talia replied.

Carissa and Lyna were both drinking smoothies while Amaru was with Auriana, the two looking out the window as it continued to rain. Iris walked over to the latter.

"Iris?" Auriana asked as she turned to see her friend. She suddenly noticed the look in her eyes. "Are you feeling okay?"

"Auriana…" Iris started out. "What matters most to you? The life we have on Earth… or the future we'll have when we free Ephedia?" she asked.

Amaru looked up to Iris with worriment on his face.

"Why are you asking me this?" Auriana asked.

Lyna and Carissa both turned to Iris just as Talia walked over.

"I have to know," Iris said. "Are you for Earth… or are you for Ephedia?"

Auriana got up and walked towards Iris. "I care about Earth…" she said. "But unless we stop Krosynis, Gramorr and the Twins… I want Ephedia to be free."

Iris looked up. "I choose… Ephedia."

At that moment, the pendant glowed brighter than usual. Everyone covered their eyes as Iris ran out back into the rain.

"What the Hell was that?!" Carissa exclaimed.

"We have to find her!" Talia exclaimed. "Come on!"

"Nathaniel, wait here!" Lyna said to Nathaniel. "If we don't come back with Iris, call the Police!"

"Right!" Nathaniel replied as Lyna and Carissa ran out with Auriana and Talia.

Thunder roared through the air as the rain poured down harder. Iris walked into an open field, where lightning struck. She felt the rain pour down onto her face before she looked up, letting out a roar.

" **MEPHISTO! PRAXINA**!" Iris yelled out, her powers making her voice echo.

At the Mountains, Mephisto and Praxina heard Iris's voice.

"What does she _want?_ " Praxina asked as she and Mephisto used the waterfall to spy on Iris.

"I know you can hear me, and I know you can see me too!" Iris yelled, just as the Princesses arrived. "Krosynis may be the threat right now, but nothing will change after he's gone! Our cycle will continue, Gem after Gem, you will continue to try and destroy us! It's time for that to end!"

"Iris!" Talia exclaimed quietly.

"Come out and face me!" Iris yelled. "Our rivalry goes on no more! We finish this… here… and now!"

Everyone remained silent. Iris panted before closing her eyes. She heard the sound of teleporting and opened her eyes, seeing the Twins standing in front of her.

"To the death, Iris…" Praxina said. "So glad you've come to your senses."

"Ephedia will never be free with you and Gramorr around," Iris exclaimed before her pendant glowed again. "I won't wait any longer to finish this! **Iris, Princess of Ephedia**!" she called out, transforming into her Princess Form.

" **Talia, Princess of Xeris**!" Talia called out.

" **Auriana, Princess of Volta**!" Auriana called out.

" **Lyna, Princess of Borealis**!" Lyna called out.

" **Carissa, Princess of Calix**!" Carissa called out.

"Amaru, Open the Battle Arena!" Iris ordered. "And make sure no one escapes."

* * *

Amaru nodded and leapt into the air, creating the Battle Arena around everyone, just as the rest of the girls transformed into their Princess Forms.

"You will never be our queen!" Mephisto exclaimed as he held his arm out. "Explodium!" he called out, sending forth his spell at Iris.

Iris ran out of the way and towards the Twins. "Crystemsabrus!" she hissed, forming her sword.

Mephisto and Praxina readied their weapons as Iris swung at them. She slashed at Mephisto, who blocked her blade before defending herself from Praxina. The three locked blades with each other before Iris kicked Mephisto away, taking on Praxina by herself.

"What do we do?" Carissa asked.

"Iris asked for this… so we help her!" Talia called out as she ran towards Mephisto.

Mephisto ran at Talia, locking blades with her staff before Carissa slammed her clubs onto his sword. He broke off with the two of them before slashing away Auriana. Lyna tossed her Ring at him, but he managed to slash it away.

"I can do this all _day!_ " Mephisto spat before slashing at Lyna, who was forced to block the attack with her Ring.

"No monsters this time!" Talia exclaimed. "If Iris wants to finish this… we finish it _now!_ " she yelled as she charged at Mephisto.

Praxina slammed her left sword onto Iris just as she slashed back. She spun around and struck at Iris with her right blade, but Iris blocked that as well before she broke off. Praxina grunted as she was pushed back. As she regained herself, Iris violently slammed her sword onto her from overhead, forcing Praxina to block it. Praxina snarled and forced Iris away, but Iris yelled and ran at Praxina, slashing at her high and low across the Arena.

"Morbullo!" Mephisto called out, sending forth large black crystal shards towards Auriana and Carissa.

"Crystarmum!" Auriana called out, protecting her and Carissa from the spell.

"I honestly don't want to fight a _gainst_ you, I want us to fight _with_ you," Mephisto said as Talia and Lyna circled around him. "Krosynis will ravage Earth and bring ruin to Ephedia if we don't join forces to take him down!"

"For once, I agree," Lyna said. "We _need_ band together, that's the only way we'll win!"

Praxina knocked Iris away and looked to the conversation. "And what comes after that?" she asked. "You get the rest of the Gems while _we_ suffer? I don't _think_ so!" she exclaimed before turning back to Iris. "Blatius!" she called out, sending forth large crystal spikes.

"Crystal Colidum!" Iris called out, sending forth her own crystals to counter. She ran with her Crystals and slashed through Praxina's attack before holding her hand out to her. "Crystal Offensio!" she called out, sending Praxina back a bit.

Praxina gasped as she stumbled back. She growled and leapt onto one of the floating platforms, where Iris followed her immediately. The two continued to clash blades before Praxina slashed her swords on the ground, sending forth red crystals.

"Ateruina!" Praxina called out, sending forth the crystals at Iris.

"Crystal Differo!" Iris called out, turning the crystals from red to pink before sending them back at Praxina.

Praxina gasped before she was sent back down to the arena by her own spell. Iris leapt down and slashed at her while she was down, but Praxina rolled out of the way and charged at Iris once again.

Lyna sent her Ring towards Mephisto, pushing him back as he sent it away each time. He looked to the side as Auriana lashed out at him. He slashed the ribbon away before blocking an attack from Talia. He kicked her away before slashing down at Carissa, who defended herself with her clubs.

"Crinix!" Mephisto incanted, sending the four Princesses back.

Auriana, Carissa and Lyna all groaned as they were sent back. Their weapons slid away from their grasp, but Talia held onto her own weapon tightly.

Iris continued to slash away at Praxina, who slashed back more savagely. The two spun around and locked blades with each other, staring one another down as they tried to gain momentum.

"I have to thank you, Iris." Praxina said.

"What for?" Iris asked angrily.

"You finally decided to get serious," Praxina said as she banished one of her rapiers. "All this time, we've been toying with you… but we don't need to toy around with you any… _longer!_ " she exclaimed, using a dark version of Crystempactus to send Iris back.

Iris yelled as she was sent back, her sword sliding off near the edge of the Arena.

Krosynis teleported into the Arena, seeing what was going on. He looked to Iris and noticed the anger in her eyes.

"This is going better than I could have hoped," Krosynis said. "Two birds with one stone… _perfect_."

"I would have waited an _eternity_ for a chance to finally kill you…" Praxina said as she dragged her rapiers along the ground. "No more Iris, no more threat to take the Throne. It ends… _here!_ "

"Crystal Imperia!" Iris called out as she turned and aimed her hand at Mephisto.

Mephisto advanced towards the fallen Princesses with his sword. All of a sudden, he felt his body being taken control of by another force.

Gramorr started to watch the battle from a large crystal formed from the ground on a floating platform.

" _What is this?_ " Gramorr asked.

"That your best shot?" Praxina asked. She let out a laugh, but it died after she was suddenly hit in the back. "What?!" she exclaimed before turning around, seeing Mephisto aiming his hand at her with a look of despair on his face. "Mephisto?" she asked. "What are you doing?!"

"Iris… no!" Talia exclaimed.

Iris panted as she got up. She held her hand out and regained her sword before both she and Mephisto advanced towards Praxina.

"Prax, help!" Mephisto called out. "I can't control myself!"

Praxina backed away nervously as Iris slashed at her. She was able to block the attack before Mephisto unwillingly slashed at her from the other side. Praxina held up her blade and blocked his attack, but not before seeing Iris punch her in the side. She groaned and tried to slash back at Iris, only for Mephisto to slash at her instead.

Praxina fell to the ground before Iris clenched her left fist, causing Mephisto to ram his sword onto her back. Praxina yelled in pain with each hit before Mephisto was flung back.

"Crystal Excuera!" Iris snarled, aiming her hand at Praxina.

Praxina yelled in pain as she curled up. Her swords vanished as Talia watched with horror.

"Are you watching this, Gramorr?!" Iris demanded, holding her hand out to where Gramorr was. Immediately, his Crystal was moved from the platform and towards her. "Do you _see_ what I can do to your minions, you coward?! What I can do after you tortured me?!"

" _Don't be a fool, Iris_ ," Gramorr remarked. " _You know who used these Spells!_ "

"Go to Klatznik, Bitch," Iris remarked before looking at Praxina. "I want you to listen to what I have to say, Praxina," she said as Praxina groaned in pain. "Look at me!" she ordered, forcing Praxina onto her knees to look at Iris. "You too, Mephisto!" she called out, bringing Mephisto over and putting him on his knees as well. "I'm going to rip out your hearts and bring them to Gramorr," she said, causing Talia to tense up and tighten the grip on her staff. "Then I'll plant your heads on sticks! After Gramorr gets my 'gift', I'll bring you back just to watch me do _this!_ " she exclaimed, slashing at Gramorr's statue, cutting the head off and causing the Statue to disappear as he yelled in agony. "Long story short… don't screw with me." She said as she lifted her sword into the air. She yelled as she brought it down, only for a blue spearhead to block it.

"Iris, that's enough!" Talia exclaimed. "We don't want to kill them!"

"Think of what they did, what they and _Gramorr_ did!" Iris exclaimed. "They took Auriana's family! They brought ruin to Calix, they desecrated Borealis… and they destroyed Xeris," she said, causing Talia to glare at her. "It's like you said, Talia! They de _serve_ to die for being traitors to the crown!"

"This isn't our way!" Talia argued. "You're _better_ than this! Think of Nathaniel, think of Earth!"

"You said it yourself, Talia," Iris said. "The needs of Ephedia must _always_ come first," she said as the rest of the Princesses looked on. "So, as future ruler of Ephedia… I sentence Mephisto and Praxina to immediate death!"

"You're not the ruler _yet!_ " Talia spat.

"Move, or you will be charged with sedition to the Kingdom of Ephedia!" Iris demanded.

Talia's eyes widened before she pushed Iris away. As she regained herself, she aimed her hand at the Twins. "Crystal Munio!" she incanted, creating a wall to protect the Twins before doing the same with the rest of the Princesses, cutting them off from getting their Weapons back.

"I choose Ephedia, Talia," Iris said. "That's my final decision. Ephedia comes first… Ephedia _always_ comes first."

"Amaru…" Amaru said nervously.

"You're lost, Iris," Talia said. "Don't make me kill you."

"If you want to challenge me, just say it." Iris spat.

Talia narrowed her eyes at Iris, placing her staff in front of her face. "Don't do this, Iris." She said dangerously.

Iris narrowed her eyes at Talia and placed her sword in front of her face. "I'm done listening to you." She remarked.

Both Iris and Talia swung their weapons down. Immediately, Talia ran at Iris, slashing at her with her bladed staff. Iris slashed back, being backed away by the Xerin Princess. Talia brought her weapon down onto her, but she held up her blade in defense before kicking Talia away. Talia grunted as she was sent into the air. As she landed on the ground, Iris ran at her again, but Talia formed another spearhead on the other end of her staff, blocking one of Iris's underhanded attacks before slashing up. She held her staff in defense as Iris continued her attack, pushing Talia back this time. The two continued to parry weapons with each other before Talia sent a stab forward. Iris dodged to the side and elbowed Talia, who grabbed Iris's sword hand.

Talia brought her staff onto Iris, who managed to release herself from Talia's grasp to block her strike. She broke off and slashed at Talia with a backhand grip, causing Talia to go back onto the defensive before she held her hand out.

"Crystal Colodium!" Iris called out, sending forth several spinning crystals.

Talia spun around and placed her staff behind her back while aiming her hand at Iris. "Crystal Retrosum!" she called out, sending back another attack.

Iris stabbed her sword right through the Crystal Retrosum attack before grabbing both split crystals. They turned from blue to pink as she sent them right back at Talia.

Talia backflipped away, but Iris tossed a crystal boomerang at her, causing her to lose her staff as she fell to the ground. She tried to get it back, only for Iris to call it into her hand.

"We gave up everything to get the Oracle Gems, and it's still not enough," Iris said. "Earth won't matter until we have Ephedia. We need to save our Home first! Ephedia is our top priority!"

"Earth is our home too, don't forget!" Talia spat. "We fight for _both_ Planets!"

"You don't understand, Talia," Iris spat. "For Ephedia to live, Earth has to die, and I will _not_ forfeit my birthright to Gramorr! I won't surrender it to you, to Krosynis, to anyone!" she exclaimed before holding both wands out. "Crystal Oblittero!" she called out, sending forth pink and blue crystal towards Talia.

"Crysta-Tectus!" Talia called out, forming a shield to defend herself. However, the combined blast broke through, sending her flying back. She tried to get up, but Iris blasted her again with both of her weapons.

"Who's spineless now?" Iris asked before she ran at Talia with both of her bladed weapons.

Talia looked to the side and grabbed Lyna's Ring. She tossed it at Iris, who sent it to the side. This gave Talia enough time to grab Carissa's clubs and Auriana's wand, the orange ribbon turning to blue. She lashed out at Iris, who managed to slash away the ribbon each time. Talia narrowed her eyes at Iris and tossed both of Carissa's clubs into the air, forming a hammer. She spun it around before aiming it at Iris, using the weight to fly herself towards her.

Iris held both of her weapons out in front of her as Talia landed, slamming the hammer onto her. Iris slashed the hammer away before Talia used the ribbon to grab Lyna's Ring. She swung her makeshift mace at Iris, who slashed at the Ring each time it was sent at her. Talia ran at Iris again, slamming the hammer at her several times. Iris blocked one of the swings with Talia's staff before stabbing at her with her sword.

Talia used the Ring and ribbon to trap her wand in place. Both she and Iris struggled for it before she pulled away, causing Auriana, Lyna and Carissa's weapons to fly away and her staff to fly back into her hands.

Iris snarled and advanced at Talia. Talia spun around her wand, replacing the spearheads with scythe blades. The two struck high at each other, pink and blue blades creating sparks against each other before Talia struck at Iris low. Iris spun her sword around and forced Talia back. She held up her staff to block her attack but Iris just tapped her staff before slashing at Talia in the chest.

"Talia!" Lyna exclaimed.

"Iris, no!" Auriana called out.

Talia groaned as she was sent back, her staff flying away from her once again. Iris ran forward and caught the double-ended scythe as Talia fell onto her back. She leapt onto Talia and crossed both of her weapon across her neck. Talia gasped with horror while Iris panted heavily, adjusting both of her weapons to prepare and take Talia's head off.

"Well… you've done it," Talia said. "You beat me."

"Finish it…" Krosynis whispered.

Iris panted as she looked down. She was about to bring both blades to finish Talia until her eyes went wide with shock. She held onto her weapons with one hand while getting her pendant with the other. The minute she thought about her actions, it stopped glowing.

"What have I done?" Iris asked. Within her pendant, she could see her Parents before seeing Aunt Ellen. She started to see all of the action she, Talia and Auriana had done together for Earth, each shining brightly. She let out a tear and got up. "This isn't me…" she said. "This isn't…" she started to say again until she dropped her sword. She started to cry as she dropped onto her knees. "I'm sorry," she said. "I should have never done this… I didn't know what I was thinking… I'm a fool."

"No… you're strong," Talia said as she got up. She grabbed her staff and walked towards Iris, picking her up. "We're going to save Ephedia… but we're going to do it right."

Krosynis chuckled from afar. "So, Iris spares Talia, the Kingdom is saved… and all is forgiven…" he said before looking up angrily. " **I. THINK. _NOT!_** " he snarled as he leapt down.

"Amaru!" Amaru exclaimed. He transformed into a Pegasus and ran at Krosynis, only for him to swat him aside, causing the Battle Arena to fade away and the shields to fall, bringing everyone back into Sunny Bay.

"I was close! _So_ close!" Krosynis yelled. He took out his star and formed his bow. "But if you want something done right…" he said before shooting an arrow at Iris.

"Iris, look out!" Talia called out, pushing Iris out of the way. As she did, the arrow hit her foot, pinning her to the ground. She yelled in pain as she tried to get out.

"Talia!" Iris exclaimed.

"I will finish this myself!" Krosynis exclaimed. He pantomimed another arrow and aimed it at Iris. However, he changed its direction and aimed it at Talia instead. "For Ephedia!" he yelled, shooting the arrow.

" **NNNNNOOOOOOOOOO!** " Iris exclaimed as she ran forward.

Talia looked up and gasped. She turned her head, but Iris ran in and pushed her out of the way. Talia gasped as she was freed.

"Iris!" Talia called out.

As Iris landed, the arrow hit her pendant. She gasped as it not only went through and cracked her necklace, but as pierced her heart. She flew back from the force of the arrow, hitting the wall of the Smoothie Bar behind her.

"Is someone there?" Nathaniel asked as he went out. He looked to the side and gasped as he saw Iris, now in her Human Form. She stuttered weakly for a few seconds before her eyes closed. Her body slumped as her head fell. "Iris!" he exclaimed.

"I wish it didn't have to be this way, Iris," Krosynis said as he walked forward, still aiming his bow forward. Upon seeing the weapon, Nathaniel clenched his fist. "But you left me no choice!"

Nathaniel yelled as he ran at Krosynis, punching him. Krosynis groaned as he felt the blunt force of the punch before getting another one to the face.

" **HOW** _ **DARE**_ **YOU**!" Nathaniel roared, sending more punches at Krosynis.

The rest of the Princesses limped forward, carrying Talia. They looked to Iris with shock and ran to her, but were intercepted by Nathaniel still punching at Krosynis.

Krosynis growled and formed his sword. "Die, Nathaniel!" he yelled.

Nathaniel picked up a metal rod and slammed Krosynis's hand, causing him to groan. He stabbed him in the chest with it before slamming it onto his head. Krosynis slashed back, managing to break it before tossing him to the side.

"Iris, hang in there!" Talia exclaimed as she ran towards Iris. She cried as she tried to bring her back, but as she placed her head to her chest, she heard nothing. She cried harder as the rain continued to fall.

"Not who I was aiming for… but it will do," Krosynis said as he levitated the Princesses away from Iris. "This is _exactly_ what I _need!_ " he exclaimed before stabbing his sword into Iris's pendant. At that moment, it turned from pink to black, even transforming Iris back into her Princess Form. "The last key to my plan is complete!" he yelled. "Ephedia… is _**MINE!**_ "

Unknown to Krosynis, a piece of Iris's pendant, still pink, fell to the ground.

"What have you done?!" Lyna snarled.

Nathaniel got up and looked over. He ran inside to the Smoothie Bar. Going to Mr. Allen's room, he got out a gun and ran back outside.

"Ephedia _will_ be reborn!" Krosynis exclaimed as Mephisto and Praxina looked over with shock. "With my new Princess…" he said as Iris started to rise up. However, instead of her usual pink, she now wore black. She opened her eyes, pitch black before both halves of a dark heart appeared as her pupils. She let out a chuckle before it turned into a laugh, her mouth now black as well. " _Dead_ Iris!"

"You'll _pay_ for that!" Nathaniel exclaimed, shooting at Krosynis.

Dead Iris turned and held her hand out. Nathaniel gasped before a black crystal exploded beneath him, sending him back and knocking him out, the gun sliding away.

" _ **Long… live… Ephedia!**_ " Dead Iris shouted.

"This Planet is _ours!_ " Krosynis exclaimed before he and Dead Iris flew into the air.

"No! Iris!" Talia called out. She ran towards where Krosynis killed Iris and looked into the air, shooting crystals towards them until they were out of the sight. She looked to the ground and fell to her knees, crying.

Auriana was about to try and talk to Talia, but refrained from doing so.

"Come on," Lyna said as she picked up Nathaniel. "Let's get him to safety."

Talia continued to cry. "I should have told her…" she said. "What kind of friend _am_ I?" she let out some more tears before her hand lit up. With her fist, she punched right into the ground, creating a crack. "Why… why would I ever… say she's not the Queen?" she asked as she got back up.

Talia looked to the ground and noticed a piece of Iris's Pendant. She gasped and picked it up. She held onto it tightly before walking into the Smoothie Bar.

* * *

At the Crater, Krosynis's Followers were waiting for him to arrive. As soon as he got back, he walked over to a rock pedestal, where the Crown and its Oracle Gems were seated.

"My people could not stop me from this seventy years ago, and they won't today!" Krosynis exclaimed before Dead Iris arrived. His Followers gasped as she walked over, removing her Pendant and maintaining her Dark Princess Form. "With the Heart and the Star…" he started out as he placed his Star Emblem onto the Crown with the Dark Pendant. " **FORCES OF MAGIC, EMPOWER ME! BRING TO LIFE** …" he started out as the ground began to shake. "My Ephedian Reality."

Nyassa was the first to get up. "Glory to Ephedia!" she chanted. "Glory to Ephedia!"

" **GLORY TO EPHEDIA!** " The rest of the Followers repeated. " **GLORY TO EPHEDIA! GLORY TO EPHEDIA! GLORY TO EPHEDIA! GLORY TO EPHEDIA!** "

* * *

Inside of the Smoothie Bar, Amaru walked around Nathaniel, checking his condition.

"Will he be okay?" Carissa asked.

Lyna took out a potion and opened Nathaniel's mouth. She placed two of her fingers onto his head before pouring it in.

"Within the next four hours, he should awaken," Lyna said. "This Potion will not only heal him, but it will make him forget what he saw. He won't remember anything about Ephedia."

"Wait," Auriana said as she heard the ground rumble. "What's that?"

As soon as the Military arrived, crystals started to spike out from the ground. Tanks were destroyed as everyone looked up. The Magic Circle appeared once more, only this time, under it rose a large castle, resembling the Royal Palace of Ephedia. It had black crystals all over, the Black Ice Monsters made by Krosynis all over the place, and a massive Dark Crystal on the top, crackling with lightning.

" _ **Bow before the King of Ephedia!**_ " Krosynis yelled, his voice booming all across the World as everyone watched. "All hail… Krosynis."

Amaru nervously hid behind Talia, who clenched her fist.

"We're too late," Carissa said. "Krosynis won."

"And we've lost Iris." Auriana said.

"No, not yet," Talia said. She walked over to where the gun dropped and picked it up. "Iris was always there for us… it's time for us to save her."

"What are you saying?" Lyna asked as she put Nathaniel's apron over his body as a blanket.

Talia looked up as jets flew towards the palace, only to be taken down by Mahria. Werner flew onto one of them and tossed the pilot out before using his wings to slash through the other, causing them both to crash.

"Earth is our home," Talia said. "I'm not giving up on Iris… or Earth."

"We _need_ to get her back!" Auriana exclaimed.

"Not we, just me," Talia said. "It's because of me Iris is with Krosynis. I have to make things right."

"But Talia—" Carissa started to argue.

"Stay here and look after Nathaniel until I get back," Talia ordered. "You _know_ what to do if I fail." She said.

"Wait!" Auriana called out.

Talia ran outside and leapt into the air. "Crystal Slucium!" she called out, summoning her diamond. She leapt onto it and started to fly all the way to the Castle.

* * *

Meanwhile, Mephisto and Praxina were resting near the lake. Praxina looked behind the greenhouse as the military started to head towards the Castle before turning back, healing herself from the wounds she took on.

"What now?" Mephisto asked. "Iris is dead, Krosynis has the Crown… what do we do?"

Praxina remained silent. She looked to the pond as she continued to heal herself.

Mephisto clenched his fist and stormed up to Praxina. "Hey, I'm talking to you!" he almost yelled, grabbing his Sister by the shoulder. "You're the mind of our Team! What should we do?"

"Look, I'm just as shocked as you right now!" Praxina exclaimed. "Everything we've fought so hard for has been for nothing! You think this is easy for me?!"

"We should have sided with the Princesses sooner!" Mephisto exclaimed. "Had Krosynis not come and ruined everything—"

"Wait, Mephisto, stop," Praxina said. "You're right."

"About what?" Mephisto asked.

"Everything that's happened… it's not because of the Princesses…"

"It's because of Krosynis!" Mephisto exclaimed. "He must have tricked Iris into attacking us somehow!"

"We have a common enemy," Praxina said. "I don't care about the Crown or the Gems right now… I just want to put Krosynis six feet under."

"Amen to that," Mephisto replied. "So… what's our move?"

Praxina chuckled. "Fly with me."

* * *

At the Castle, Krosynis was looking to the Crown of Ephedia. Dead Iris stood by him before he summoned his throne. He put it down next to the crown before looking to his Descendant.

"Look at all this, Iris," Krosynis said. "Earth thinks they can stop the force of Ephedia. They couldn't even stop the Plague."

Dead Iris stood where she was, not listening to what Krosynis was saying.

"What am I saying? You're not Iris. Iris is dead," Krosynis said, finally getting Dead Iris's attention. "When we turn Earth into our new Ephedia, my parents will have seen that they were wrong to banish me. Our Future is bright. Brother and Sister, Past and Present, we shall make Ephedia great once again!"

"I'm glad you're having fun," Mahria said. Both Krosynis and Dead Iris turned to see her and Kento walk up, followed by Nyassa and Werner. "You know we played a part in this too. Your dream is a reality, the Earth is now on the brink of bowing down to you."

"What more could you want that we don't already have?" Kento asked.

Krosynis chuckled. He got off of his throne and walked towards the crown.

"I saw a lot of things when I came here seventy years ago," Krosynis said. "Leaders are corrupt, they allow trafficking of the highest degree, murder all across, and, of course, the occasional case of Murderers breaking out of prison," he said. "Today, I see problems with Ephedia. There aren't enough people to help make a stand," he said. "That's why I found you all human hosts to take control of. That's only one part of what I have in store. Ephedia's people are dying away."

"What does that have to do with anything?" Werner asked.

"Right now, you are the New Ephedians," Krosynis explained. "We were the first ones to master the Crystal Quinta. But the Crown and its Oracle Gems offer more power, yet it is incomplete… for now," he started out. "The Gems and the Crown can attract the others when together at the pinnacle of Ephedia. Once we get all of them… we will be able to turn all Humans into the New Ephedians," he said, causing everyone to smile. "And together, with our Army, our combined forces shall take the throne from Gramorr and unite the Planets together."

Nyassa chuckled. "Always the Visionary, my Love," she said. "No wonder I fell for you."

"All that we dreamt before was only a fantasy," Krosynis said as Dead Iris heard something in the corner. "No more of our imaginations running wild. Today, we become the Gods of Ephedia!"

At this time, Talia had just arrived at the top of the Palace. She looked around before running inside. She heard someone arriving and hid behind the wall. She readied her gun as a Black Ice Monster walked by. As soon as it passed, she ran further down until she got to the Throne Room. The moment she saw Krosynis, she narrowed her eyes at him.

"He has the Crown!" Talia whispered. She cocked her gun. "We have to get it back," she said before looking around. "Wait… where's Iris?"

All of a sudden, a black blade stabbed itself into the wall behind her. She gasped as it pulled out and stabbed again. She got away and noticed the wall collapsing behind her, revealing Dead Iris with her sword drawn, now more sinister-looking and crackling with energy.

"We're not alone!" Mahria exclaimed.

Talia leapt out from her hiding place and blocked an attack from Iris. She turned around and aimed her gun at Krosynis.

"Give me back the Princess." Talia ordered.

"Is this what Xeris is now?" Krosynis asked as he walked forward. Talia kept her gun aimed. "Murderers of Royals? You carry that gun, you're no better than any of the other problems I've seen walk this Earth."

"Says the one who stole the Crown." Talia spat. She readied her Staff to fire as well.

"I was there during the Azure Age of Ephedia," Krosynis said. "I know what Xeris did. Iris, I mean, _Dead Iris_ , knows too, and that's why she's never going to forgive you," he mocked. "So what are you going to do?"

"Draw your sword and find out." Talia spat.

"I'll take my chances," Krosynis spat. He eyed at Dead Iris, who crawled along the wall before getting down, her sword now more sharper than ever. "Kill her."

Talia narrowed her eyes and shot at Krosynis, actually managing to hit him in the leg. She shot at him again, only for Dead Iris to destroy the gun and punch her away.

"You're better than this, Iris!" Talia exclaimed. "Fight him! I believe in you!"

Dead Iris yelled and ran at Talia, slashing at her in the face. Talia held up her staff, summoning both of her scythe blades, and slashed back at Dead Iris. As she was regaining herself, Talia ran out towards the balcony. Dead Iris snarled and ran after her.

As soon as Dead Iris ran out, Talia appeared from behind her and tackled her towards the edge. She grabbed her by the collar and prepared to punch her away, only for Dead Iris to get on the ground and kick her over the edge. Talia yelled as she fell down. Dead Iris looked down and laughed before jumping down to finish the job.

Talia got up from the balcony below and slammed her scythe staff at Dead Iris, knocking her to the ground. Talia attempted to hit her again, but Dead Iris sent her back with her sword. As Talia was about to get up, Dead Iris ran at her.

" _ **Iris is gone! I am DEAD Iris!**_ " Dead Iris exclaimed as she swung at Talia, who managed to disarm her of her sword. However, Dead Iris grabbed her by the hair before punching her to the ground. She yelled before Dead Iris grabbed her again and lifted her into the air before throwing her back down. " _ **Before me, you are nothing!**_ " she spat.

Talia backflipped from one of Dead Iris's attack and regained her Staff.

Meanwhile, the Military was moving in towards the Castle. Behind them, Amaru was flying towards the Castle as well, managing to evade each of the jets.

Talia slashed at Dead Iris, trying to get her closer. Dead Iris stabbed her sword at Talia, impaling her in the shoulder. Talia groaned, but she grabbed Dead Iris, getting the two to fall off the edge. As Talia was trying to reach for her Pendant, Dead Iris grabbed her neck. Talia tried to get free, but they both started to fall fast towards the ground below.

"Come _back_ to us!" Talia exclaimed as she finally managed to grab Dead Iris's pendant.

" _ **Go to Hell!**_ " Dead Iris yelled.

All of a sudden, Amaru flew in. Auriana leapt off of him and grabbed Dead Iris and Talia, using her Ribbon to grab onto part of the Castle. As she held onto them, Dead Iris slashed at her shoulder, causing them to fall.

"Hang on!" Lyna called out as she flew over and let everyone fall safely.

" _ **I will kill you!**_ " Dead Iris snarled.

"You're _welcome!_ " Carissa exclaimed as she tossed her clubs, pinning Dead Iris to the ground.

"We have to get her Pendant!" Talia exclaimed as she ran at Dead Iris.

Dead Iris looked up as the Princesses charged towards her. She got up and grabbed Carissa, slamming her back and forth like a metronome.

"Oh, _wow!_ " Carissa exclaimed as her eyes spun. She placed her hand to her head. "You're _stronger_ than I would have guessed!"

Auriana lashed out at Dead Iris, grabbing her and pulling her forward.

"Now!" Talia exclaimed.

"Crystal Levitus!" Lyna exclaimed, lifting Iris up.

Iris shrieked and tossed Auriana back before lunging at Talia and Lyna. Talia held out the piece of the non-corrupted Pendant and leapt back at Iris. The two yelled as they collided into one another.

* * *

 _Talia yelled as she fell down. She groaned as she landed hard on the ground. As she got up, she noticed everything around her had changed. Instead of a doomsday Sunny Bay, she was at the Royal Palace, only not on Ephedia, but on Earth instead. She got up and looked around before walking towards the Palace._

 _Inside of the Palace, Talia heard some weeping. She also saw a faint light coming from her hand. She opened her fist and saw the piece of the Pendant glowing. The weeping became louder as she ventured deeper into the Castle. She eventually reached the Throne Room, where Iris was in the corner, chained and crying_.

"Iris!" _Talia exclaimed as she ran over_. "It's okay. I'm here to save you."

"Why?" _Iris asked as she looked up_. "I don't deserve redemption. I'm the reason Krosynis rose to power in the first place. I attacked you. Look at what I did!" _she cried_. "I'm dead, and I've doomed Ephedia!"

"I wouldn't be here if you hadn't saved me," _Talia said_. "This is your mind. What's stopping you?"

" _ **Me**_."

 _Talia gasped and turned around, seeing Dead Iris standing. There was no life in her eyes, only darkness. She grinned as she unsheathed her sword_.

"I'm her now," _Iris said_. "These chains… they're the easy part. It's what goes on in here that's hard."

"I don't believe that _," Talia said as she handed Iris the remaining piece of her pendant_. "We've always been there for you, there was always life. We can overcome anything."

" _ **Get out of my head!**_ " _Dead Iris spat. She aimed her hand forward_. " _ **Crystal Descetio!**_ " _she exclaimed, shooting forth a darker version of the Crystal Offensio_.

 _Talia pushed Iris out of the way. As the chains came off, the false Ephedia crumbled, revealing Iris, Talia, and Auriana on an island_.

"What?" _Iris asked_.

" _ **Is this some kind of joke?**_ " _Dead Iris asked_.

" _I… I have a destiny?_ " _the past Iris asked_. " _I can hardly control my voice. What makes you think I can be some sort of Princess?_ "

" _We've been waiting to find you, Iris_ ," _Auriana said_. " _You saw it yourself. You're the daughter of the Queen of Ephedia!_ "

" _But I'm nothing special!_ " _Iris protested_. " _I can't just leave everything! It's too much for me to bear_."

" _And you won't have to do it alone_ ," _Talia said_. " _We're with you, all the way_."

 _Iris looked up_. " _What if I fail?_ " _she asked_.

" _What if you don't?_ " _Talia asked_. " _We're here to help you. Not just as Princesses… but as your friends_."

 _Iris smiled at the scene_. "I remember," _she said_. "After you showed me my past, that was your pep talk. That was when I accepted you as my friends."

" _ **If you're showing me this memory, you're wasting your time, both of you!**_ " _Dead Iris spat_. " _ **I was a weak fool, not knowing my TRUE power, and I'll never go back to that! The past is gone!**_ " _she exclaimed as she charged herself up. She shot a large blast towards the memory, destroying it_. " _ **You're in my world now! Just like that memory, you'll be gone too!**_ "

 _Talia gasped before Iris got up_. "Never!" _she exclaimed_.

" _ **Don't be so cocky**_ ," _Dead Iris spat_. " _ **Give up already! There's no escape!**_ "

"You can't hurt us!" _Talia remarked_.

" _ **You're DONE for!**_ " _Dead Iris exclaimed, slamming her sword down on them, only for them to disappear. She gasped and teleported away, finding them on the Concert Stage_. " _ **It's all over! My power is greater than yours, and I will destroy you! Bow down before your Queen!**_ " _she demanded before shooting dark crystals at them_.

 _Talia tried to fight back, but she suddenly vanished. Iris, however, stood her ground. She took the hit, but still stood tall. She narrowed her eyes at Dead Iris before walking forward_.

" _ **What do you think you're doing?!**_ _" Dead Iris yelled. She shot at Iris again, trapping her in Crystal. Iris stayed in the Crystal for a moment before getting out. She brushed it off and continued to walk_.

" _ **What?! This can't be!**_ " _Dead Iris exclaimed before shooting at Iris again. However, none of the attacks even did anything to hurt her, nor did they manage to slow her down_. " _ **Die, die! Why won't you go down?!**_ " _she demanded before shooting more Spells_.

 _Each Spell hit Iris, creating more crystals. However, they all shattered, revealing Iris in her Princess Form_.

" _ **No! Stay away! You can't! You won't! Stop this!**_ " _Dead Iris demanded, only for her legs to get trapped in Crystal_.

 _Behind Iris, each person she and LoliRock had helped appeared. Clara appeared, followed by Gina. Joanna appeared, and so did Tim, Kyle, Matt and Lily. Belina, Olivia and Rose appeared next to her before Rebecca walked alongside them. Carlos stood beside Rebecca before Zack Brady and Daisy appeared. Dan, Riley, Lisa, and even Missy appeared. Following them were Doug, Nick, and finally, Nathaniel. Everyone who LoliRock had helped joined Iris as they advanced towards Dead Iris_.

"I know now," _Iris said_. "I'm not alone… together we stand… I have my best friends… you have nothing."

 _Dead Iris panted nervously as everything suddenly flashed brightly around her_. " _ **No… no…**_ " _she said before her body started to crack_. " _ **NNNNNNNOOOOOOOO!**_ "

 _Everyone watched as Dead Iris crystallized into pink crystals. Soon, everything around Iris's dreamscape started to vanish. She smiled and closed her eyes, feeling her pendant purify as she placed the final piece into it_.

* * *

Back in the Real World, Iris groaned. Everyone looked to her as her black started to turn back into pink. Talia got up as well and looked to Iris before looking to her hand, seeing that the shard she carried was gone. She smiled and walked over as Iris's eyes started top open. Instead of black with broken hearts, they were now back to blue. She looked to her friends weakly.

"Guys?" Iris asked. "That you?"

"Iris!" Auriana exclaimed.

"You're back!" Lyna exclaimed.

"Thank the Stars!" Carissa exclaimed.

Talia did not cheer. Instead, she walked up and hugged Iris.

"I'm sorry I never believed in you," Talia said with tears streaming from her eyes. "I should have always been there, standing by you."

"Talia… everyone… you should know by now," Iris said as Amaru came over, turning back into his pet form. "You were _always_ there for me… even when I couldn't see it. I'm just sorry my heart wasn't in the right place."

"As long as we're together…" Talia said.

"Nothing can keep us apart." Auriana finished up.

Amaru smiled and snuggled next to Iris. Iris looked to Amaru and smiled. She looked back to her friends before seeing the Castle. She gasped as something hit her.

"What is it?" Talia asked.

"I know Krosynis's plan," Iris said. "He's going to use the Crown to gather every Oracle gem, then use their powers to turn everyone into an Ephedian!" she exclaimed. "He's going to use everyone on Earth to take over Ephedia, and then make this Planet into Ephedia itself!"

"We have to stop him!" Carissa exclaimed.

"Amaru!" Amaru exclaimed.

"But with the power of the Gems on his side, he'll be unstoppable," Iris said. "Only an heir of Ephedia can take him down, but I don't have the power. I can access Shanila, you saw it earlier," she pointed out, getting nods from the rest of the Princesses. "I can feel it, but not even _that_ will be enough to take him down."

"Maybe you can use _our_ powers with your own," Talia pointed out. "The Crystal Power Grab Spell!"

"What?" Iris asked. "Talia, that's suicide! Plus, it only lasts an hour long!"

"You can minimize the effects," Talia said. "Your Shanila Powers combined with the powers of five kingdoms is something Krosynis can't possibly match!"

"But it _will_ leave us a little drained until it wears off," Auriana pointed out. "We need to be careful."

Iris nodded. "Okay, I'll do it," she said. "Talia, you and I go to get Krosynis. If we get the charm in his eye, we can diminish some of his power, like when Gramorr damaged our own charms."

"What about the rest of us?" Lyna asked.

"You'll have to hold off his Followers," Iris said. "He's been using other Humans as hosts for them to still live. Missy, Melanie and Connor are among them," she explained. "Don't hurt them, but don't let them know who we are either," she added on before looking to the Castle. "This is going to be our biggest fight yet," she said. "So are you with me?!"

" **YEAH!** " Talia, Auriana, Lyna and Carissa all called out.

"You guys ready to do this?" Iris asked.

Everyone nodded.

Iris grinned and held out her Pendant. Talia held out her bracelet as Auriana held out her ringed hand. Both Carissa and Lyna punched forward with the LoliRock Girls.

" **Iris, Princess of Ephedia**!" Iris called out.

" **Talia, Princess of Xeris**!" Talia called out.

" **Auriana, Princess of Volta**!" Auriana called out.

" **Lyna, Princess of Borealis**!" Lyna called out.

" **Carissa, Princess of Calix**!" Carissa called out.

* * *

Iris spread her arms out from her chest, where a heart-shaped chestplate appeared. She spun around and spread her arms out again, gaining a white and pink dress. As she spun around again, she gained white arm gloves before clapping her hands in the air, gaining pink nail polish before pink boots appeared over her feet. She pulled her hands down as a tiara came onto her head. Her hair turned from blonde to pink and grew longer before gaining heart-shaped earrings. She opened her eyes, and three heart crests flew down behind her, giving her a piece of glittering transparent fabric. As soon as that was done, Iris spun around and backflipped before getting back up placed her left arm up to her side and her right arm held out to the other side.

Auriana spun around and twirled like a ballerina until she gained an orange and white dress with a crescent moon on her chest. She placed her arms across her chest as white gloves came onto her arms before tapping her legs, letting orange high-heel boots appear before she placed her arms down, gaining orange armlets on her elbows before sliding her hand across her head, turning her hair from red to orange, which grew longer into a ponytail. Two earrings appeared on her earlobes before she opened her eyes as two crescent-shaped crests flew down, giving her a piece of glittering transparent fabric. Afterwards, she spun around, posing in a slanted position with her left arm in front of her and her right hand held out behind her low.

Talia spun around, gaining a blue and white dress with a diamond on the middle, and raised her arms into the air before letting them slowly fall, her left leg dropping to join her right leg. As soon as her legs were together, blue boots appeared over them. She raised her hands up, gaining white gloves before she flicked her hands from her elbows, gaining blue armlets. She slid her hand across her hair, turning it from brown to blue, her hair now longer like Iris and Auriana's, before pink lipstick appeared on her lips. As soon as she gained her blue diamond earrings, she opened her eyes and looked down as she gained a piece of glittering transparent fabric from her diamond crests. As soon as she gained her fabric, she spun around, her left hand tucked in near her elbow and her right hand held out to the side.

Lyna spun around, forming a crystal flower around her body. She flexed her hand up, breaking the chamber she was in and breaking out from the flower. She wiped her fingers across her lips as she gained transparent fabric, light-green hair and a light-green Princess Dress. On her chest was the fleur de lys. She crossed her arms in front of her before placing her right hand over her head while her left arm was held out to her side.

Carissa spread her arms out and slammed them onto the ground, creating a crystal around her. She held up her hand and sliced through it, breaking it and gaining purple hair to replace her orange hair, transparent fabric and a purple Princess Dress. On her chest was a four-pointed star. She blew a kiss before spinning around, placing her right hand to her chest tucked in while her left hand was stretched out to the side.

* * *

" **CRYSTEMSABRUS**!" Iris and Talia called out, forming their bladed weapons.

Carissa ran towards the entrance of the Castle, using her clubs to hit it a few times. She kicked off of it and formed her hammer. With one more strike, she slammed it down, and the Princesses entered. Several Black Ice Monsters charged at them, but they blasted them all away before running towards the Throne Room at the top of the Castle.

Lyna flew towards the stairs, where more Black Ice Monsters were waiting for them. She held her hands out, causing the rest of the Princesses to glow.

"Crystal Levitus!" Lyna called out, sending the other girls ahead of her.

Iris and Carissa both grabbed onto some Black Ice Monsters and kicked them to pieces before Talia and Auriana punched a few more. Lyna flew at the rest and cut them down to size with her Ring before everyone flew right through the rest of the Black Ice Monsters in their way, landing at the top of the steps. More Black Ice Monsters were waiting for them, but Auriana ran and punched some to pieces before Talia slid under and kicked them. Iris leapt over another and stabbed them with her sword as Lyna and Carissa both sent crystal blasts at the rest.

"My lord!" Nyassa called out as she saw what was happening. "They have Iris again!"

"What?" Krosynis asked. He walked over to see what was going on immediately.

Iris continued to slash at the Black Ice Monsters before Carissa ran across them. She flipped into the air and slammed her clubs down, scattering them before Lyna enlarged her Ring, trapping several Black Ice Monsters within it before bisecting them all at once.

"Keep them occupied," Krosynis ordered. "We need to speed up our plans."

"Keep fighting!" Iris called out as she blocked an attack from two Black Ice Monsters before sending a blast at them in the chest. "We need to stop Krosynis!"

"You won't get far!" a voice called out.

Talia turned and gasped. "Look out!" she called out, throwing her staff. The staff slashed apart several crystal blasts and hit Nyassa and Werner before it came back to her.

Everyone dispensed with the Black Ice Monsters before seeing Nyassa, Mahria, Kento and Werner approach them.

Carissa ripped off the head of a Black Ice Monster and tossed it at Kento, who punched it to pieces.

"You can't take on our whole army!" Werner bragged as more Black Ice Monsters came. "Even your combined powers can't defeat us!"

"We're taking you down!" Auriana exclaimed.

"You and what army?" Mahria asked before letting out a laugh.

"Stay strong…" Iris said as she and the Princesses backed away from Krosynis's Followers and Army.

" _ **ATERODERE MAXIUS!**_ "

"Huh?" Lyna asked.

At that moment, the Black Crystal Dragon flew down, followed by the minotaur. The archer flew in with the Phone Monster before the Crystal Dinosaur, hedgehog and bear came, followed by every other Black Crystal Monsters the girls had ever faced.

"Someone ask for an army?" Mephisto asked as he and Praxina flew over.

"Mephisto? Praxina?" Iris asked. "What are you doing here?"

"You've come to help us?" Kento asked. "How thoughtful."

"Don't sell yourself short, Kento," Praxina remarked as she and Mephisto flew next to the Princesses. "We're only doing this to get Krosynis out of the way."

"But… why?" Talia asked.

"Because Krosynis has been twisting events ever since he got here," Mephisto said. "At first, all we wanted to do was ruin this World."

"But we've come to like it here, believe it or not," Praxina added on. "If Krosynis destroys Earth… we can't have it."

"So consider us on your side, Princesses!" Mephisto exclaimed.

Iris grinned. "Thanks," she said. "Keep these guys at bay," she ordered the Twins. "Krosynis is ours."

"Yes, your Highness!" Mephisto complied.

"Don't get used to this." Praxina remarked as she and Mephisto took out their swords.

Iris and Talia looked to each other and nodded before they charged towards the Followers.

" **CRYSTEMPACTUS!** " Iris and Talia both called out, punching through the Army.

The Black Ice Monsters all yelled as they were sent flying before Iris and Talia ran up the stairs towards the Throne Room.

"Stop them!" Nyassa called out. She looked to the Black Crystal Dragon and shot at it. Immediately, it turned navy and flew after the two Princesses. She was just about to follow until Praxina blasted her.

"You're not going anywhere!" Praxina exclaimed.

Nyassa chuckled as she revealed a blade on her arm. She extended it before charging at Praxina, the two locking blades.

All of the Black Crystal Monsters charged at the Black Ice Monsters, taking them on. Mephisto and the rest of the Princesses charged towards the Followers. Auriana took on Mahria, Carissa with Kento and Lyna and Mephisto against Werner.

Outside, the Black Crystal Dragon flew and destroyed several incoming jets before flying back inside.

"Look out!" Iris called out. "Amaru!"

Amaru ran over and turned into a Pegasus. Iris leapt onto him and flew towards the Dragon, slashing it multiple times while Amaru sent sonic blasts from his hooves. Talia spun around and sent several powerful blasts toward it as well before Iris leapt onto the dragon and stabbed its head, causing it to separate into Black Ice Monsters.

Talia looked to Iris and smiled. " **YEAH**!" she shouted excitedly.

"Let me remind you… who I am," Iris said as she aimed her sword at the Black Ice Monsters. Each Black Ice Monster charged at Iris, but she spun around and bisected all of them with one stroke. "I am Iris, Princess of Ephedia!"

Talia ran to Iris as she looked up the two got onto Amaru and flew towards the Throne Room.

* * *

In the Throne Room, Krosynis was siphoning the power of the Crystal at the top of the Palace.

"My people have defied me long enough!" Krosynis exclaimed. "After today, they will learn to kneel before the might of—"

Iris suddenly leapt in and kicked Krosynis back. Talia ran in afterwards and slashed him down towards the Throne.

"Hello, Ancestor," Iris said as she and Talia leapt down. "Surprised to see me?"

"Not _that_ surprising." Krosynis remarked. He took out two Stars and formed swords from them. He let out a yell before shooting gold crystal at Iris and Talia.

Iris and Talia leapt to the sides, avoiding Krosynis's attacks. He ran towards Talia, slashing at her with one sword before Iris ran in and blocked his other one, preventing him from taking down Talia. Talia broke off and slashed at Krosynis, knocking him back. However, Krosynis regained himself and formed a crossbow from his Stars. He started to shoot at Iris and Talia, causing the two to use their weapons to deflect his crystal arrows before he formed his swords again, running at Iris. Iris managed to block his attacks before Talia fell him to the ground. He growled and slashed her in the back before jumping up to slash her down.

"Crystal Tempus!" Iris called out, trapping Krosynis in a bubble that made him slow down.

"Crystal Offensio!" Talia called out, sending crystals into the time bubble. As soon as it faded away, Krosynis was sent back. "I'm not done yet!" she called out as she ran towards him.

Krosynis regained his swords and shot at Talia, causing her to dodge to the side. She ran at him and slashed at where she shot him in the first place. He yelled in pain as he fell to the ground.

"This won't stop me!" Krosynis called out before flying up.

"Iris, he's all yours," Talia said as Iris ran over. Before Iris ran up, Talia stopped her. "You'll need this!" she called out, tossing her Staff towards her.

Iris looked and caught Talia's staff. "Good luck." She said.

"That's my line," Talia teased. She looked up to Krosynis and sent a blast towards him as he reached the large crystal. "Take him out!" she called out before jumping to join her friends in the battle below.

Iris nodded as she turned to Krosynis, who was now sparking with the power from the large gem of the Castle.

"Get down here, Krosynis, you coward! Fight me!" Iris called out.

"Don't forget your place, Iris! No one calls me a coward!" Krosynis yelled. He spun around one of his swords, turning it into a sword staff while the other became a shield. He leapt down and stabbed his sword into the wall to break his fall. "I give you Ephedia, I give you the truth! Why do you fight for the Humans?!"

"Because Earth isn't just a place," Iris said as she twirled around her weapons. "It's home too!" she exclaimed before running at Krosynis, slamming her weapons onto him.

"Even if you _are_ my Descendant, I won't let you stop me!" Krosynis exclaimed.

"You want to kill everyone? Go through _me!_ " Iris remarked as she slashed Krosynis across the shoulder.

Krosynis felt the slash and broke off with Iris. He spun around and kicked her away, the two now heading towards the top of the Castle.

* * *

"Crystempactus!" Talia called out as she fell to the floor below.

Nyassa looked up before Praxina slashed her away. Talia punched through Werner and right onto Nyassa, sending her flying.

"Where's Iris?" Praxina asked.

"Taking Krosynis," Talia replied. "We need to keep his army here! No one can interfere with her!"

"Krosynis is in danger!" Werner called out as he slashed away Mephisto as he flew at him. "Protect the Golden Leader!"

All of a sudden, Lyna flew at Werner, actually sending a punch to his face. He groaned from the hit before Lyna kicked him down to the ground.

"What?!" Werner exclaimed. "But the people of Borealis never fight hand to hand!"

"When Krosynis became the source of our troubles, _all_ bets were off!" Lyna exclaimed as she tossed her Ring towards Werner.

Mahria twirled around her Whip and lashed it out at Auriana. Auriana held out a shield in front of her before lashing back with her ribbon. The two lashed back and forth at each other, taking out Monsters in their way until their weapons intertwined with each other.

"Crystal Cranea!" Auriana incanted, summoning a crystal hand. Both she and her crystal hand pulled on the ribbon, pulling Mahria towards them.

"Not bad," Mahria spat before turning her Whip into a spear. "But not good _enough!_ "

Auriana grabbed several pieces of the room and tossed them at Mahria, but she slashed them apart.

* * *

Iris and Krosynis continued to clash blades back and forth as the crystal started to disperse energy. Krosynis forced Iris back before she hit him in the face with Talia's staff. Krosynis groaned before ramming his shield against Iris.

"No one's here to help you now, Krosynis!" Iris called out. "Surrender!"

"Not in my dictionary," Krosynis spat. "Maybe _you_ should do it instead!" he yelled before slashing at Iris.

Iris held up her sword and staff, blocking the attack. She locked Krosynis's sword in between her weapons before swinging him off the edge. "Amaru, now!" she called out before jumping after Krosynis.

Krosynis started to fall as Iris fell after him. The two started to blast each other back and forth, pink and gold crystals either colliding or sliding past each other. Iris took a nose dive towards Krosynis and slammed her weapons onto him again, causing him to fall faster.

At that moment, Amaru leapt down and clapped his hands, opening the portal to the Battle Arena, where Krosynis fell into.

" _That_ should hold him!" Iris exclaimed.

Krosynis turned around as he saw the Battle Arena below him. He growled as he held his hand back.

"Crystempactus!" Krosynis called out, sending a direct punch towards the Battle Arena.

As Iris landed on the ground, large crystals started to scatter out of thin air.

Everyone looked up as Krosynis landed through the rubble of the Battle Arena. Each piece of it scattered, even taking out more of the jets before he slashed at Iris again.

Iris yelled and ran at Krosynis, getting onto one of the pieces of the Battle Arena and throwing another piece at him.

Krosynis leapt up and slashed through the falling crystals before Iris leapt down and tackled him. She spun around and slashed at him while he was still down, only for him to get out of the way just as Iris stabbed her weapons into the ground.

Krosynis growled and used both his sword and shield to slam Iris away. Iris groaned as she was knocked back before tossing two Crystal Shards at Krosynis, disarming him as well.

"Let's start the revolution," Iris said as she lit up her hands. "Crystempactus!"

"Fine by me," Krosynis said as his hands lit up as well. "Crystempactus!"

Iris ran at Krosynis, sending a punch towards his face. Krosynis dodged and punched Iris in the stomach, but she regained herself quickly and sent an uppercut punch towards him, sending him tumbling back. She spun around with both her fists forward and punched at him like a drill, each attack becoming stronger each time before their Crystempactus Fists faded away.

* * *

Talia kicked Nyassa away before Praxina slashed at her. The two kicked Nyassa away before she blasted both of them.

"Crystal Krotyro!" Nyassa called out.

Both Talia and Praxina leapt away from the blasts, dodging each one of them.

"I need a weapon!" Talia exclaimed.

"Here, take mine." Praxina said as she handed Talia one of her rapiers.

"Thanks." Talia said. She spun around the rapier, causing it to turn blue. The two charged at Nyassa.

Nyassa slashed at Praxina, who slashed her away before Talia locked blades with her. The two Xerins stared each other down before Nyassa slammed her blade into the ground, forcing Talia back.

Talia landed in another room, her rapier falling next to her. She looked up and gasped before a smile came onto her face.

Praxina was now being forced back by Nyassa, trying her hardest to fend off against the evil Xerin. Nyassa cackled and tossed Praxina to the ground.

"You're _done_ for!" Nyassa exclaimed.

All of a sudden, the rapier Talia borrowed was sent flying out of the room and into Nyassa's shoulder. Nyassa growled and pulled it out before Talia came over, armed with swords on her arms.

"Let's dance." Talia said.

Praxina grinned and regained her rapier, slashing Nyassa towards Talia.

Talia slashed Nyassa across the chest several times before slashing at her arm blade. She tossed held onto both of her weapons before Nyassa charged at her again. Talia summoned her guitar and blocked the attack before slamming her away with it.

"My turn," Talia said as she got herself into a guitar stance. She held Magic Circles over it, turning it into a Gatling Gun. "Surprised? So am I."

"No!" Nyassa exclaimed.

Talia fired blue crystals towards Nyassa, who tried to deflect them. The crystals came at her too fast, and she was pushed back, where Praxina slashed her away. Talia grinned and spun around, firing at the rest of the Black Ice Monsters, shattering them upon sight.

Carissa slammed her clubs down at Kento, who used his Dagger to block her attacks. He broke off with her and slashed wildly, forcing Carissa back until she formed her hammer. She slammed his hands, causing him to scream before using her clubs again to knock him to the side, where Black Crystal Monsters knocked him into the air.

* * *

Iris dodged several punches from Krosynis before getting hit. She was sent back, and both of their Crystempactus Fists faded away.

"You can't beat me, Iris!" Krosynis spat as he picked up his weapons.

Iris went to pick up her weapons, but Krosynis grabbed her and stabbed her through the stomach. Iris gasped and coughed up some blood as she was dropped to the ground as Krosynis circled around her.

"I was the strongest royal warrior during my time," Krosynis said as he kicked Iris towards her weapons. "Shanila does _wonders_ for you. I've been in _my_ Shanila for years! How long have _you_ been holding onto _yours?_ "

Iris held her chest as she picked up her weapons. "Long… e _nough!_ " she exclaimed as she held her arms out. Soon, her clothes became white, her hair became longer, and wings appeared on her back. She looked to Krosynis with her now-pink eyes before flying towards him, slashing him down.

Krosynis blocked Iris's attack before striking back. The two struck high and low at each other as they flew through the skies, across the debris of the Battle Arena and eventually, back into the Castle.

Everyone continued to battle on the ground below, holding off the army until Iris and Krosynis landed. They backed away as more Crystal Debris fell down. As soon as they landed, they ran at each other again, slashing and punching at each other until Krosynis managed to trap her staff in his sword. Iris struggled to get free, but she was no match for Krosynis, who disarmed her of her staff before punching her away.

Iris regained herself and shot a massive blast at Krosynis, causing him to hold his sword and shield up. The blast sent him into the next room. When Iris ceased her attack, she saw Krosynis's second star weapon fall. He growled and sent back his own blast before Iris blasted back. The two blasts collided with each other in midair before Iris flew at Krosynis, the two ending up back in the Throne Room.

Iris flew at Krosynis and slashed him across the cheek. He punched her away before slashing her across the leg. As Iris fell, she slashed at Krosynis's leg in return, causing him to limp backwards.

"Nicely done," Krosynis said before he and Iris looked to the Crown. "But I have other methods when it comes to a power struggle!" he exclaimed before running over.

Iris sent a large crystal towards Krosynis as he placed his hand on the crown. She teleported over and grabbed the crown, only to find one of the Oracle Gems missing.

"Looking for this?" Krosynis asked. He laughed as he placed the Oracle Gem into his eye. He flew up and gained more power from the large crystal at the top of the Castle. "Nothing can stop me now!"

Iris looked up. "Don't be so sure," she said. "I have the crown…" she started out as she placed the Crown on her head. "And my best friends!"

Krosynis looked down with shock before Iris started to glow. "What are you doing?" he asked. "Stop!"

"Have a taste… of my _power!_ " Iris called out, spreading her arms out to the side.

Talia swung her guitar and swords at Nyassa before her blue hair turned back to brown.

Auriana noticed her hair turn back to red before Carissa's hair turned from purple to orange. Even Lyna's green hair turned to back.

"Go, Iris!" Talia called out.

Nyassa, Werner, Mahria and Kento all stood weakened from the combined efforts of the Princesses and the Twins, being forced to watch as Iris gained more power.

Krosynis growled as he siphoned off more power from his gem.

Iris held her right hand up, which turned blue with the royal symbol of Xeris on it. A blue diamond appeared over her arm, extending into a blade.

On Iris's left arm, she gained a shield the shape of the crescent of Volta. Her arm turned orange and gained the royal Voltan symbol as well.

Iris twirled around as her boots turned purple, gaining the Calixian Royal crest on it before her wings turned green and were made to resemble the fleur de lys of Borealis.

Iris spun around and outstretched her hand, now in a form more powerful than Shanila.

Iris and Krosynis both stared each other down, the two now at the zenith of their powers. Soon, they dashed sonic-fast at each other, locking blades immediately. Their clash caused energy to disperse, taking out both the armies and half the Castle.

"I won't let you win!" Krosynis yelled as he flew back, firing down on Iris.

Iris flew at Krosynis with her shield in front of her. She evaded every attack before spinning around, sending extremely strong kicks towards Krosynis. Krosynis groaned as he was kicked back before Iris used her new flight powers to fly through him, slashing at him with each strike she made.

Talia continued to gun down the armies while Auriana used her tambourine to knock Mahria back. She eventually turned it into a saw and slashed Mahria away before shooting her into Nyassa. She eventually regained her sword and slashed away at her with a fast flurry of slashes before Praxina fired on her from above. Both Talia and Praxina leapt back as Nyassa was sent crashing through the walls.

" **Talia! Princess of Xeris**!" Talia called out as she clenched a fist in her left hand and held her right hand out to her side.

Auriana ran at Mahria as she lashed out at her with her Whip. Auriana cut through each piece, eventually shortening it before using the remaining pieces to bind Mahria together. She leapt into the air, spinning her tambourine saw around and slashing at Mahria, sending her and Nyassa flying once again.

" **Auriana! Princess of Volta**!" Auriana called out as she placed her left hand over her chest and her right hand into the air.

Carissa spun around and evaded Kento's Dagger before Talia threw her one of her swords. Carissa caught it and clashed blades with Kento. She and Kento continued to clash before they stared each other down. The two circled each other before Kento kicked her into the air. He ran and slashed at her, but she threw her sword into her other hand, managing to quickly parry off the attacks Kento threw at her before she landed on the ground again. She trapped her Dagger in her sword before forming a Magic Circle over her right hand.

"Crystal Retrosum!" Carissa called out, blasting Kento into several Black Ice Monsters, causing them to shatter. She grinned as she placed her right hand down low and her left hand across her chest. " **Carissa! Princess of Calix**!"

Lyna flew through the skies as Mephisto fired at Werner from below. Werner flew around and dodged Mephisto's attacks before Lyna spun and kicked him away. He looked up and fired at her, causing her to crash down into some Black Ice Monsters.

"Stay down!" Werner called out.

Lyna got up and tore off a shield from one of the Black Ice Monsters. She grinned as she spun it around before tossing it at Werner, knocking him out of the sky.

"Mephisto!" Lyna called out.

"On it!" Mephisto called out, flying towards Werner. He took out his sword and slashed right through him before Lyna used her shield to slam him onto the ground. As soon as he got back up, she tossed her shield at him again, which dashed through him left and right before sending him back.

" **Lyna! Princess of Borealis**!" Lyna called out as she performed a high dab.

Iris continued her attack on Krosynis, who was using his remaining Star of Ephedia to block her attacks. She spun around and used her Sword of Xeris to slash at Krosynis, who formed his sword and blocked the attack.

"You really expect to beat _me?!_ " Krosynis exclaimed. "Who do you think you are?!"

"I thought I made myself clear!" Iris exclaimed before she took out her Ephedian Sword. Krosynis gasped before she stabbed it into his eye charm. He screamed as he was sent back before she spun around and used both her blades to disarm him of his weapon. She flew into the air and kicked him down to the ground, where he landed with his Army as the Followers started to fire back. " **Iris! Princess of Ephedia**!" she called out before more Black Ice Monsters charged at her.

" **XERIS!** " Talia called out as she held her hand out to Iris.

" **VOLTA!** " Auriana called out as she outstretched her hand as well.

" **CALIX!** " Carissa yelled, holding out her hand towards Iris.

" **BOREALIS!** " Lyna yelled, holding her hand to Iris as well.

" **EPHEDIA!** "

Iris spun around as the powers of the five Kingdoms empowered the Heart on her chest. She charged herself up with the power before unleashing a massive blast that destroyed half of the army and sent Krosynis back, his head crackling with electricity.

" **TOGETHER FIGHTING HARM WITH CRYSTAL CHARM!** " Iris, Talia, Auriana, Lyna and Carissa all called out.

Iris leapt back from the air and reverted out of her Full Shanila, soaring down to the ground.

"Crystal Colidum!" Iris called out as she took out several monsters before taking out the Staff of Xeris. "Crystal Colodium! Crystal Dimitam!" she yelled, taking out more Monsters before slicing off Werner's wings. "Crystal Offensio! Crystal Leos! Crystal Ruca! Crystal Protendere! Crystal Oblittero!" she continued to call out as she took out more Monsters before blasting the Followers, repeating each Spell faster before she reached Krosynis. " **Ultra** …" she started out as she formed her Crystempactus fist. " **Crystempactus**!" she yelled, grabbing Krosynis's hand before punching him square in the chest with the other. She charged up her hand even more before launching Krosynis into the top of the Crystal, where it sparked as soon as he made impact on it.

" **NNNNOOOO!** " Krosynis yelled furiously.

"Let's go!" Iris called out to everyone. "Amaru!"

Amaru flew over and carried Iris, Talia and Auriana out while Carissa glided after them on her compass star. Lyna flew alongside her, carrying the unconscious Followers of Krosynis, before Mephisto and Praxina flew out as well, but not before Iris grabbed the Crown of Ephedia, its Oracle Gems, and the Oracle Gem that Krosynis used to boost his power.

The crystal exploded, destroying any remainders of either Black Ice Monsters or Black Crystal Monsters. As soon as everyone was out, the Crystal's explosion destroyed the whole Castle, leveling it to the ground.

* * *

At that moment, Nathaniel woke up. He felt his head before walking out to see what was going on. He gasped as the castle fell to the ground.

Everyone looked out, having heard the explosion. As soon as they saw the Castle crumble, there was a moment of silence. After a while, they all cheered upon seeing the Princesses fly through the air.

"Nathaniel? Nathaniel, you're okay!" Doug exclaimed as he ran up to Nathaniel. They both looked towards the Princesses. "Who _are_ they?"

Nathaniel looked to the Princesses and smiled. "I don't know," he said. "But if they saved Sunny Bay, they're heroes in my book."

* * *

Iris, Talia, Auriana, Lyna and Carissa landed on a rooftop near where the Castle crumbled. The Twins floated down next to them before Iris looked to the Crown and the Oracle Gems. Lyna looked and levitated the Followers of Krosynis down as well.

"Time to go away." Iris said as she held her hand out, pulling the Spellbooks away from them.

Nyassa turned back into Missy, Mahria back into Melanie, Kento back into Connor and Werner back into Warren as the Spellbooks floated away from their bodies.

"We've won!" Iris exclaimed. "We beat Krosynis!"

"More like all you, but… same thing." Mephisto said.

Iris smiled before she turned around. "You're not gonna take this, are you?" she asked.

"Your biggest battle, your biggest reward," Praxina said. "But the _next_ Oracle Gem… that one's ours." She said sinisterly before she and Mephisto flew away.

Talia chuckled. "Twins will be Twins." She said.

Iris nodded and placed the last Oracle Gem with all the others so far. "For Ephedia and Earth!" she called out, sending the Crown and its Gems back to Ephedia.

The Crown of Ephedia flew through the air, with all of its Oracle Gems following behind it. It soon penetrated the barrier around the Royal Palace and landed back where it belonged. Gramorr looked on as the Oracle Gems collected flew back onto it. However, he held out his hand and called the last one to him.

"You've won today, Princess Iris," Gramorr said. "Only once… I salute you."

"That was some move!" Carissa exclaimed.

"Not as good as yours!" Auriana exclaimed. She turned to Lyna. "I can't believe you actually got your hands dirty!"

"Well, it's Krosynis," Lyna said shyly. "I _had_ to make an exception."

All of a sudden, the sound of thunder rolled in the air. Everyone looked up before Krosynis fell down on his knees. His eye was now burnt, smoke coming out of it, and all across his wardrobe, he had cuts, bruises and several parts of his cape now with holes in them.

"He's alive?!" Talia exclaimed.

Krosynis panted as he looked up. "Why?" he asked. "I was going to save Ephedia… why would you rob me of Home?" he asked again before aiming his sword at the Princesses. "After all I did, why would you dare?!"

"Because we have more than one home," Iris said as she walked up to Krosynis, lowering his sword with her hand, causing him to turn away. "For years, almost a century, you've been bound by Ephedia. I've been bound by Earth… but I've come to accept both as a Home. You just saw it as the easy way," she said. "Thanks to you, I've learned that it's not about Ephedia, or Earth… but about the people you're with, the place you make happy memories," she went on. "You've been stuck in your delusions for so long," she said. "You need to let go of your ambitions, because it just doesn't matter anymore. Ephedia isn't a place… it's the people, and as people… we choose what is right," she finished up before standing tall. "I won't let your war go on… not while we stand." She said before walking away.

Krosynis panted. His eyes widened as he looked to Iris. There was a long moment of silence as he looked at her before he got up, running towards her with his sword in anger.

"Iris! Behind you!" Talia called out.

"Crystemsabrus!" Iris called out, turning around just in time. She held up her sword, blocking Krosynis's attack.

"It _is_ our choice!" Krosynis exclaimed. "And I choose to _rule_ Ephedia _and_ Earth! You're not fit to be the Queen!"

"And you're no King!" Iris exclaimed as she pushed Krosynis away.

Krosynis growled and ran at Iris, slashing at her chest. Iris held up her sword and blocked his attack before bellying the blades away. She chest-bumped him forward before turning around and kicking him back. Krosynis knelt down and slashed at Iris's right shoulder while Iris slashed back at him, forcing the two back.

"That all you got?!" Krosynis yelled.

"I gave you an easy way out, Ancestor. But I guess it will come down to who wants it more."

"Then prepare to die, you nasty woman." Krosynis spat.

Iris narrowed her eyes at Krosynis, readying her sword. She adjusted her feet while calming herself.

Krosynis narrowed his eyes at Iris as well. He aimed his sword at her before pulling it back.

The last of the Castle fell down, revealing the sun. As soon as it shone over the two, they charged at each other with battle cries. They yelled and ran at each other, slashing at their chests once they met midway.

Talia, Auriana, Lyna and Carissa all held their breaths while Amaru held himself close to Auriana's leg.

Iris landed behind Krosynis, both hands on her sword held out while Krosynis held his hand behind his back.

"Come on, Iris…" Talia said.

All of a sudden, Iris groaned and dropped onto her knees, causing Krosynis to grin.

"No!" Auriana exclaimed.

"Like. I. Said…" Krosynis said. "It's gonna… be—"

At that moment, Krosynis's eye shattered. He gasped and fell to the ground, feeling blood on his chest.

"You will _never_ rule Ephedia." Iris said sternly.

"Goodbye, Iris… Princess of Ephedia." Krosynis said before he fell, shattering into a million crystal pieces.

Iris weakly got up and turned to her friends. She smiled at them before falling onto the ground as well, her eyes closing reverting back into her Human Form.

"Iris?" Talia asked. "No…" she said before she and the Princesses ran towards her. "Can you hear me?! Iris!"

"Iris!" Carissa called out as well.

"Stay with us!" Auriana called out.

"Come on!" Lyna said worryingly.

Iris could hear the voices as she grew weak. Eventually, she drifted away, the voices becoming fainter as everything turned to black.

* * *

" _Iris?_ "

Iris gasped. Her eyes shot wide open. She was now in her room, with the girls, Amaru, and even Nathaniel around her.

"Guys?" Iris asked. "What's going— ow!" she exclaimed, feeling her right arm. She found that it was now in a sling around her neck. "What happened? How long was I out?"

"You've been asleep for four days." Nathaniel replied.

"Four days?!" Iris exclaimed. "What about the Concert?!"

"Don't worry, we told Ty about it," Talia said. "He understands there was a falling out with us, but we got back together, and he's giving us another week to get ready."

"But how are you feeling?" Nathaniel asked.

"Well, my arm's broken," Iris noted. "At least it's not a cast."

"I healed it as best as I could, but time will have to take care of the rest." Talia said.

"How broken _is_ it?" Iris asked.

"Oh, you know," Auriana said. "'Hit-by-a-maniac' kind of broken," she said, immediately getting elbowed by Lyna and Carissa. "Ow! What?"

"Right…" Iris said before Nathaniel walked up to her. "How are _you_ feeling? I saw you knocked out last time."

"From what Talia told me, I was hit by some hailstones," Nathaniel said. "I feel okay now."

"That's good," Iris said, giving Nathaniel a peck on the cheek. "Can we still see that movie later?"

"Sure thing," Nathaniel said. "I'll wait downstairs." He said before leaving the room.

As Nathaniel was leaving, a girl with a cloak came over. She hid away some white hair before entering the Room. Everyone immediately looked over to her.

"A job well done, Iris," the girl said before removing her hood, revealing herself to be Izira. "I couldn't be prouder of you."

"Izira?" Iris asked. "What are you doing here?"

"When you hear that the Princess of Ephedia dies, takes on Krosynis and wins, you can't just ignore it," Izira said. "I had to come and check up on you myself. Everyone on Ephedia is talking about what happened. Even Gramorr's activity has been quiet ever since the Fall of Krosynis."

"You're quite a celebrity now, I guess." Lyna said.,

"Amaru." Amaru agreed.

"I guess we are, on Earth _and_ Ephedia," Iris said. She looked up again. "There's just something I want to know." She said.

"What is it?" Talia asked.

"What _really_ happened during the Azure Age of Ephedia?" Iris asked. "I don't know if Krosynis was lying about what he told me, but I want to make sure I know what happened."

"Well, if he told you there was a coup, he was right… and wrong." Izira said.

"What do you mean?" Iris asked.

"Seventy years ago, the Kingdom of Xeris was created," Talia started out. "We were a Kingdom of Wisdom. The Royal King and Queen of Ephedia asked us to stage a coup, to test if we would take the Throne or not."

"We planned the attack for four years, but on the fifth year, we attacked," Izira went on. "We didn't take the Throne, but instead negotiated with the King and Queen to reach an agreement. We became the first Sentinel Kingdom of Ephedia."

"What are the Sentinel Kingdoms?" Iris asked.

"Xeris…" Talia started out. "For wisdom."

"Volta…" Auriana went on. "For defense."

"Calix…" Carissa continued. "For Strength."

"And Borealis," Lyna finished up. "For tranquility."

"They are the foundations of Ephedia," Izira explained. "They make Ephedia strong… they are the main Kingdoms of the Crystal Quinta."

"The Power of the Five Kingdoms," Iris said. "Is that why my Ancestor had the same team as we do?"

"Well, Krosynis isn't your Ancestor," Talia explained. "Unlike Human lineage, when an Ephedian is cast out, they no longer are part of the family tree. Even when you killed Krosynis, it made no effect on your existence."

"The same with his Followers," Auriana went on. "They were our Ancestors too."

"Speaking of which, I should get the Spellbooks," Lyna said. "Izira needs to take them back to Ephedia for safe-keeping."

"Actually, I need to make sure they get destroyed," Izira said. "Even though they left the bodies of your friends—"

"Missy?" Iris asked. "Eh…"

"Meh…" Talia added on.

Auriana gave an iffy gesture while Carissa and Lyna quietly shook their heads.

"Not so much." Iris said.

"Even though they no longer have hosts, I need to destroy them so that they can't harm anyone else," Izira went on. "You should continue to rest."

"But was the Azure Age a War… or…?" Iris asked.

"It was a time of peace, to mark the beginning of friendship," Talia said. "You're wise to want to learn these, and you're growing more powerful with every passing day."

"I am proud to serve you as Queen of Ephedia." Izira said as she took a bow.

Iris smiled. "As you were." She said.

Izira chuckled and left the room with Lyna and Carissa.

"Well, since we have more time to get ready for the Concert…" Iris said as she got up. "There was a new song I wanted to try out."

"I may not be a Doctor, Iris, but you should still rest," Talia said. "You're not quite ready to rehearse yet."

"We can practice in here," Iris said as she opened her laptop. She typed something in before showing the screen to Talia. "And I was thinking of closing the Concert with this. I know we haven't done Covers, but we all love this song," she said, causing Talia to smile the moment she saw the song Iris was talking about. "What do you say?"

"I say we give it a go." Talia said as Auriana and Amaru smiled as well.

"Let's do it!" Auriana cheered.

"Good," Iris said as Amaru leapt into her left arm. "Then let's get started," she said. "Talia, can you write down the lyrics as we do the song?" she asked. "You know… I'm right-handed…"

"Sure thing, Iris," Talia said. She and Auriana went to get their Instruments from nearby before walking back to their Seats. "Now, let's get going."

"Alright, LoliRock!" Iris cheered. "You know, I'll be honest, that whole deal with Krosynis might have helped me to come up with the new song, believe it or not," she said before looking to Talia. "Can you start out?" she asked. "I call this one _Reach the Stars_."

Talia smiled. "I like it," she said. "Now… here we go."

Iris closed her eyes and took a deep breath as Talia started to strum her guitar. "~You're not alone~" she started out before she strummed again. "~Together we stand~" another strum came. "~Out on your own… you've got your best friends~"

* * *

 _Okay, so I didn't die for good, but I died. Facing Krosynis's wrath, the fallout with Talia, that was all the most intense moment of my life, and probably the life of my friends too_.

Izira, Lyna and Carissa walked into the room upon hearing the Music. They looked to LoliRock and smiled.

"Sure you don't want to stay for the Concert?" Carissa asked.

"I'd love to… but I must get back to Ephedia," Izira said as Iris, Talia and Auriana all looked up. "You keep up the good work." She said before teleporting back to Ephedia.

Iris smiled before singing again. "~Touch the stars again! We're going higher! 'Till the very end! Yeah, you can count on us! Never let you go! We got each other! Cue the LoliRock… No one can make us stop~"

 _For the rest of the week, we rehearsed, day and night. Sure, I let my arm heal during the time, but we had our fun, especially when we hung out with the Twins that one day_.

Auriana panted as she ran from lasers. She hid behind a wall and looked around.

"Guys?" Auriana asked. "I'm pinned down! The Twins are everywhere!"

"I don't know how much more of this I can take," Iris said. "We've been stuck here for so long. I don't think I can make it."

"Don't talk like that," Talia said. "Carissa and Lyna are still out there."

"Guys?" Carissa asked. "Lyna and I are ready to serve. Are you sure about this?"

"I'm sure," Talia said. "Iris… I trust you. Lead the way!"

" _ **GGGIIIRRRLLLL PPPOOWWWEEERRR!**_ " Iris yelled as she turned around, shooting her laser gun before Auriana came out. However, the twins they were facing, the same boy and girl from when they met Ella, fired at them first, causing their vests to beep.

"Huh," Auriana said. "I was sure we had it that time."

"For my people!" Talia called out as she turned around. She yelled and opened fire, but no one was there. Instead, her vest beeped, causing her to look up as Ella fired down on her. "Come on, Ella!"

"All's fair in love and war, Talia!" Ella said.

Lyna came over. "Did you die again?" she asked.

"Team Ella for the win!" the twin cheered as he, his twin sister and Ella gathered to hi-five each other.

"Where were _you_ the entire time?" Iris asked as she and Auriana came over.

"They were everywhere," Lyna said as she shivered. "I still see the lights when I close my eyes."

"Come on," Talia said as they helped to comfort Lyna and lead her out of the room. "Carissa's sure to have gotten our drinks and fries by now."

"Well, I'm just saying," Carissa said as she came over, having waited for her friends at the doorway. "Last time you had lemonade this strong, you ran the whole block."

"Thank goodness Izira wasn't there to see that." Talia said, causing everyone to laugh. They passed Melanie, who waved to them with Connor, while Missy just rolled her eyes and walked down the street with her posse.

 _Missy, Melanie and Connor didn't remember a thing from when they were under Krosynis's control. Warner, however, as the last of the Doom Marine Gang, was arrested for cyber-bullying, bank robbery, and highway jaywalking. Funny how he's the last one who got arrested. But the week was still good. We still see our friends from time to time, and we invited them to the big Concert too! And I got to spend some time with Nathaniel. We saw the movie, as promised. You didn't think I'd forget to mention that, did you?_

" _Are you just trying to get me to talk about myself?_ " Tamatoa asked Moana as Iris and Nathaniel watched _Moana_. " _Because if you are… I WILL GLADLY DO SO! In song form!_ "

Immediately, the whole Audience laughed.

"I'm telling you, Iris, I love this musical," Nathaniel said. "Can you see why I chose it now?"

"Yeah," Iris whispered as she looked to see Auriana with Matt and Talia with Kyle, all watching the Movie as well. "I guess we all like this one."

" _I'm so shiny!_ "

 _Yeah,_ " _Moana_ " _was a hit. Even Talia shed some tears, something I never expected her to do. But the day finally came at Riverdale Stadium… when we started our Concert, and trust me, it was a day to remember. You'll be amazed at what miracles magic can do_.

* * *

"Lyna, do we have the right seats?" Carissa asked as she and Lyna made their way to their seats.

"Our VIP Tickets say front row, but I'm trying to choose a good place where it won't be too loud or too bright for us." Lyna said.

"How about here?" Carissa asked as she sat herself and Lyna down at the seats near the edge of the front row. "This should be good. We've been searching for half an hour!"

"Oh, Amaru!" Amaru exclaimed from Lyna's arms. Lyna and Carissa looked as some people started to arrive.

"Hello, thank you for coming," Mr. Taylor said as some people started to enter the Stadium. "Thanks for coming. The Usher will take you to your seats," he said before a dark-skinned male with some black and blue clothes and a dark-skinned female with black and red clothes came over. "Hey," he said. "Aren't you two Quicksand Ferret?"

"Yeah, you have a good eye," the male said. "I'm Felix, and this is Sandy." He said as he first gestured to himself before gesturing to his girlfriend.

"We're fans of LoliRock," Sandy said. "We'll be performing here in two weeks. Think they'll be there?"

"I'll see what I can do," Ty said. "I have a friend who might be able to get them in. She's hit some tough times, but maybe she can pull a few strings."

"Thanks," Sandy said. "Means a lot."

"To your seats." An Usher said as he helped Felix and Sandy get to their seats.

Backstage, Iris, Talia and Auriana all stood ready, wearing the selected and color-appropriate clothes Iris chose out for them. Iris took a deep breath before looking to her friends as she felt her right arm, still in her sling.

"Well, the World is about to know LoliRock," Iris said. "You scared?"

"I'm gonna try to not teleport across the place again." Auriana said.

"What she means is… we're set," Talia said. "What about you?"

Iris took another deep breath before looking behind the curtain. She gasped at the number of people who came to watch them before turning back around, panting heavily.

"That's a lot of people." Iris mused.

"Let me see," Talia said. Her eyes widened before looking to Iris. "We can do this." She said.

"I know that's our usual crowd… but the whole _World_ will be watching," Iris said. "How will I be able to perform in front of so many people?"

"Iris, calm down," Auriana said. "You've done _better_ than performing in front of millions."

"Yeah," Talia said. "You took on Krosynis. If you can stand pressure during our battles, you can do well in front of the World."

Iris smiled. "Okay," she said. "Let's do this!"

Auriana smiled as Iris and Talia walked back to where Auriana was. The three stood quiet as the lights went off behind the stage.

" _Ladies and Gentlemen of all ages_ ," a voice said as Nathaniel sat down next to Doug, Matt and Kyle, while Missy, her Posse, Clara, Gina, Charlie, Joanna, Tim, Lily and Nick sat down on the row in front of them. Rebecca sat down behind Lyna and Carissa, as well as Aunt Ellen, with Carlos, Daisy, Belina, Rose, Olivia as Zack Brady, Dan, Riley, Lisa and Ella before Melanie, Connor, Dylan and Laurel sat next to Nathaniel. " _The moment you've been waiting for… LoliRock!_ "

Everyone cheered before the curtain opened and the lights dimmed. A runway of lights lit up on the ground, revealing Iris, Talia and Auriana in the center. The three strutted down the walkway before Talia and Auriana stopped halfway, letting Iris walk up to the front of the stage, where she grabbed the microphone.

"Hello, everyone," Iris said. "The big day has finally come! I see friends, mutual friends," she started off, causing everyone, even Missy, to chuckle lightly. "And family gathered here today in the crowd. I know there are also viewers at home watching this as well, and are eager to hear the music we have for today. We'll be playing some new songs that you've never heard before, songs you have, and a surprise at the end. I know there are people who have doubts about us, but I can assure you…" she said as she suddenly grabbed the microphone with both her hands, causing the audience, and herself, to gasp, as her sling fell off from her right arm. She smiled and looked up. "We have a magical performance for you today."

Everyone cheered before the lights turned on. Talia took out her guitar and strummed, smiling at Iris before she and Auriana lowered their heads.

" _~You're not alone  
Together we stand  
Out your own_

 _You got your friends_ ~"

Talia and Auriana looked up as Iris threw the mic into her right hand, now feeling good as new.

"~ _Pull the shades up  
Never give up  
Don't forget you got friends_~"

Talia and Auriana joined Iris, the two playing their instruments to the rhythm as everyone cheered.

"~ _When it's midnight  
Watch the star lights  
SOS your best friends_~"

Auriana and Talia both made their instruments disappear, allowing them to walk up and join Iris dance at the front of the stage.

"~ _Stepping outside  
Open your eyes  
Don't forget all your faithful allies_~"

"~ _Facing danger  
You'll be braver  
When you got your friends by your side_~"

Iris, Talia and Auriana all shot up magic into the air, causing them to fly up.

"~ _Friendship is magic  
Make a wish, let's go_~"

Iris, Talia and Auriana landed back on the stage, creating a blinding flash of light. When it cleared, the back of the stage now had stars zooming forward, eliciting more cheering from the crowd.

"~ _Touch the stars again  
And get together  
'Till the very end  
We'll push you to the top_

 _Never going down  
We got each other  
Cue the LoliRocks  
No one can make us stop_~"

At the end of each verse, stills of the LoliRock girls appeared on the screen.

"~ _Touch the stars again  
We're going higher  
'Till the very end  
Yeah, you can count on us_

 _Never let you go  
We got each other  
Cue the LoliRocks  
No one can make us stop_~!"

Auriana walked to the left of the stage, where she struck a dab. Talia did the same on the right while Iris spread her arms out, sending out magic to everyone as they cheered for them even more. The lights went off on the stage, showing each girl with a larger silhouette of themselves.

"~ _(Stop!)_

 _(Stop!)_

 _(Stop!)_

 _Get ready, on your set, let's go_ ~!"

The lights turned back on again, showing the girls to everyone, leaning or sitting on crystals on the stage. Talia was the next to sing as she got off of the blue crystal she was leaning against.

"~ _Standing closer  
You'll be stronger  
With your best friends nearby_~"

Auriana sang the next lines.

"~ _See, we're all back  
We never lost track  
We belong together_~"

Both Talia and Auriana struck a pose, aiming their hands out to the audience. Iris looked up and got off the crystal throne she was sitting on.

"~ _In the moonlight  
Diamond star bright  
Don't forget that your friends are nearby_

 _When you have doubt  
Give us a shout  
Tell the world that we rock united_~!"

Iris, Talia and Auriana all gathered their wands, placing them together. Soon, the three girls flew through the sky before flying back down and touching the hands of everyone who held their hands up to them.

"~ _Friendship is magic  
(Rock United!)  
See our friendship is magic_~"

The Princesses flew back to the Stage, where giant crystals in each of their respective colors were planted into the ground. The three burst out, causing the Audience to cheer for them once again.

"~ _Touch the stars again  
And get together  
'Till the very end  
We'll push you to the top_

 _Never going down  
We got each other  
Cue the LoliRocks  
No one can make us stop_~"

The girls spread their hands out, creating crystal stars in the sky. Soon, they spread through the sky, causing everyone to look up with wonder.

"~ _Touch the stars again  
We're going higher  
'Till the very end  
Yeah, you can count on us_

 _Never let you down  
We've got each other  
You're with LoliRocks  
No one can make us stop~!_"

The Princesses leapt into the air, causing each star to explode into fireworks. Everyone in the crowd cheered for the performance. As the LoliRock Girls landed, they smiled to one another.

For the rest of the night, the concert went on. LoliRock performed some of their older songs for everyone. After _Reach The Stars_ , they went on with _Revolution_. Following _Revolution_ came _We Are Magic_. After that was _Celebrate_ , which was immediately followed by _Higher_. Finally, they reached _Best Friends Forever_.

"~ _B-F-F, Friendship Never E-Ends_ ~"

The Crowd cheered once again, as did viewers around the World.

"Thank you all for being a great audience!" Iris called out. "Your support means so much to us! To end the Concert, we have a special LoliRock Version of a Song we feel defines who we all are," she said. "That we can put anything we put our minds to, that we can touch the sky."

The lights on the stage went off. With everyone unable to see what they were doing, Iris, Talia and Auriana created a large crystal staircase. Iris went on the top of it while Talia and Auriana stood on the platforms at the side. As soon as they were ready, the music started to play, and the lights went back on. Iris took the stage, singing the first notes.

"~ _I came to win_

 _To fight…_

 _To conquer…_

 _To thrive…_

 _I came to win_ ~"

Another one of the lights went on, revealing Auriana.

"~ _To survive_ ~"

Another light went on, revealing Talia.

"~ _To prosper…_

 _To rise_ ~"

Everyone cheered once they realized what the song was being performed.

"~ _To fly-I-I-I-Y_

 _To fly-I-I-I-Y_ ~"

Talia stepped up and rapped the next part.

"~ _(Uh, Yo, Yo)_ ~"

Iris smiled and stepped forward.

"~ _I used to think that I could not go on_ ~"

Auriana stepped up.

"~ _I wish today it would rain all day_

 _Maybe that will kinda make the pain go away_ ~"

"~ _And life was nothing but an awful song_ ~"

Talia took the next line, making finger guns.

"~ _They got their guns out aiming at me_

 _But I become Neo when they aiming at me_ ~"

"~ _If I can see it_ ~" Iris and Auriana sang.

"~ _Me, me, me against them_

 _Me against enemies, me against friends_ ~" Iris sang.

"~ _Then I can do it_ ~" Auriana sang.

" _~Somehow they both seem to become one_ _  
_ _A sea full of sharks and they all smell blood~_ " Talia rapped this time.

" _~If I just believe it~_ " Iris harmonized.

" _~They start coming and I start rising_ _  
_ _Must be surprising, I'm just surmising~_ " Auriana sang.

" _~There's nothing to it~_ " Talia harmonized.

" _ **I win, thrive, soar**_ _ **  
**_ _ **Higher, higher, higher**_ _ **  
**_ _ **More fire**_ " Iris, Talia and Auriana all sang.

" _~I came to win, to fight, to conquer, to thrive_ _  
_ _I came to win, to survive, to prosper, to rise~_ " Iris sang.

" _~I believe I can_ _fly-I-I-I-Y_ ~" Talia sang.

" _~Fly~_ " Auriana chimed in concurrently.

"~ _I believe I can touch the sky_ _  
_ _I believe I can_ _fly-I-I-I-Y_ ~" Iris sang. _  
_

" _~Fly~_ " Auriana sang at the same time once again.

"~ _I believe I can touch the sky~_ " Iris sang.

" _~See, I was on the verge of breaking down~_ " Talia sang.

" _~Paint they own pictures, then they crop me in_ _  
_ _But I will remain where the top begins~_ " Iris rapped as she gained her wand.

" _~Sometimes silence can seem so loud~_ " Talia sang, gaining her staff.

" _~I am not a word, I am not a line_ _  
_ _I am not a girl that can ever be defined~_ " Auriana sang as she gained her own wand.

" _~If I can see it~_ " Iris harmonized.

" _~I hear the criticism loud and clear_ _  
_ _That is how I know that the time is near~_ " Talia rapped.

" _~Then I can do it~_ " Auriana harmonized.

"~ _See we become alive in a time of fear_ ~" Talia rapped again.

" _ **~And I ain't got no LoliRockin' time to spare~**_ " Iris, Talia and Auriana all sang again.

" _~Cry my eyes out for days upon days_ _  
_ _Such a heavy burden placed upon me~_ " Talia sang before singing, "~ _There's nothing to it_ ~"

" _ **~But when you go hard your nays become yays**_ _ **  
**_ _ **We are LoliRock and we're here to stay~!**_ " Iris, Talia and Auriana once again all sang together, placing their wands together, changing everything around them to that everyone was now in the air, the girls rising up on their own respective-colored pillars.

" _~I came to win, to fight, to conquer, to thrive_ _  
_ _I came to win, to survive, to prosper, to rise~_ " Iris sang.

" _~I believe I can fly~_ " Auriana sang.

" _~Fly~_ " Talia harmonized. " _~Fly~_ "

" _~I believe I can touch the sky~_ " Auriana sang again.

" _~Ooh-ooh, uh, yeah~!_ " Talia harmonized.

" _~I believe I can fly~_ " Iris sang.

" _~Fly~_ " Auriana harmonized this time.

" _~I believe I can touch the sky~_ " Iris sang once again.

" _~Fly~_ " Auriana harmonized. " _~Fly~_ "

" _~I believe I can fly~_ " Talia sang.

" _ **~Get ready for it, get ready for it~**_ " Iris, Talia and Auriana all sang.

" _~Then I can be it~_ " Talia sang.

" _ **~Get ready for it, get ready for it~**_ " Iris, Talia and Auriana sang once again.

" _~If I just believe it~_ " Auriana sang.

" _ **~Get ready for it, get ready for it~**_ " Iris, Talia and Auriana sang once more.

" _~There's nothing to it~_ " Iris sang.

" _~Get ready for it~!_ " Talia sang with much enthusiasm.

" _~I believe I can fly~!_ " Iris sang.

" _~Fly~!_ " Auriana harmonized. " _~Ooh-ooh~_ "

" _ **~I believe I can touch the sky~**_ " Iris and Talia sang together as the three girls flew through the air, touching the hands of everyone in the crowd.

" _~Fly~_ " Talia started to harmonize.

" _~I think about it every night and day~_ " Iris sang on her own.

" _~Fly~_ " Talia continued to harmonize. " _Oh~_ "

" _ **~Spread my wings and fly away~**_ " Iris and Auriana sang together this time.

" _~Ooh, whoa~_ " Auriana harmonized. " _~I can fly~_ "

" _~I believe I can soar~_ " Iris sang.

" _~Fly~_ " Auriana harmonized before singing, " _~Get ready for it~_ "

" _~I can fly~_ " Iris sang as everyone came back down.

" _~I see me runnin' through that open door~_ " Talia sang.

" _~Get ready for it, fly~!_ " Iris sang with her arms tucked in.

" _~I can fly~_ " Talia sang.

" _~I believe I can fly~_ " Iris sang once more.

" _~Fly~_ " Talia sang at the same time.

" _~Woo~!_ " Auriana cheered. " _~Get ready for it~_ "

" _~I can fly~_ " Talia sang.

" _~I believe I can fly~_ " Iris sang as the girls finally landed on the ground once again. She, Talia and Auriana all looked to one another before finishing the song together.

" _ **~I believe I can FLY~!**_ "

Everyone in the crowd, as well as everyone watching the Concert from home, cheered for LoliRock.

Iris, Talia and Auriana all looked to each other before they held hands and bowed to the Audience, still cheering for them throughout the night.

* * *

After the Concert, Iris walked out of Riverdale Stadium, looking into the skies.

"Mom, Dad, I hope you can hear me," Iris said. "If you could see what me and my friends from Ephedia have done… I think you'd be very proud of us. From fighting Gramorr to fighting Krosynis… we've had it in for the long run, a good time. These words might not be brought up when we finally free you… but at least… at least hear what I say. Everything that has happened… we have done it together."

Talia walked over to Iris with Auriana. "They _are_ proud of you, Iris," she said. "They're proud of us _all_."

"What we've just been through can never be described in words, not even in a song," Auriana added on as Lyna and Carissa came over. "But by our actions… by our friendship… it will never end."

"It's safe to say that we have earned our victory for the time being," Carissa said. "Nothing has been easy, for any of us…"

"But at least we'll get through it… together." Lyna finished up.

Iris smiled. "You're right," she said. "As long as we stick together, nothing can stop us!"

"I'm glad you feel that way," Ty Taylor said as he walked over. "The Concert was a success. There are people all over the World who _love_ LoliRock right now."

"Wow…" Iris said.

"That's amazing!" Talia exclaimed.

"I know it may seem too soon, with a lot going on right now," Ty said. "But after your next scheduled concert, maybe you'd like to show off your skills at Las Vegas. They saw everything, and would like to know if you would attend."

"We'd _love_ to!" Auriana exclaimed happily.

"Sign us up!" Carissa exclaimed.

"Yeah!" Iris exclaimed.

"Great," Ty said. "I'll let them know." He said before walking away.

"That reminds me," Iris said as he looked to Lyna and Carissa. "We've been looking around Sunny Bay, and we think we've found a place for you to stay," she said. "Aunt Ellen can't keep track of all _five_ of us, but we know this apartment where you can get the best view of Sunny Bay."

"Really?! Our own place?!" Carissa exclaimed.

"But we'll still need you to come over for training," Talia added on. "Izira didn't just send us here to relax, you know."

"Well, in that case, it might give us the chance to try _these_ out," Lyna said as she handed the core three Princesses rings with opals on them, each having their respective magic symbols on them. "Carissa and I already have ours."

"Cool!" Auriana exclaimed as Amaru toyed around with her crystal device. "What are they?"

"I call them Crystal Beacons," Lyna explained. "Say that Carissa and I are elsewhere, and you three are facing the Twins, one of their Monsters, or something and you need help," she said before pressing her own Crystal Beacon. "It will send out a message to you," she went on, causing everyone else's beacons to glow. "And it will open a portal for any of us to reach one another."

"Whoa!" Amaru exclaimed.

"Lyna, I think it's safe to say you've officially outdone yourself." Talia mused.

"This will work _great!_ " Iris exclaimed.

"Well, I also have a few potions in store, so I'm not done amazing you yet…" Lyna said in a sly tone.

All of a sudden, Iris's Pendant started to glow. Everyone looked to it as it glowed before the Twins appeared in front of them.

" _Loved_ the Concert… really, I did," Mephisto said. "But we've let you off long enough."

"Ready to get back in the game?" Praxina asked as she and Mephisto both held their hands out to them.

Iris grinned. "For old times' sake…" she said as her pendant glowed again.

"Ready?" Talia asked as she felt her wrist, her bracelet glowing.

"Hell, yeah!" Auriana exclaimed.

Carissa placed her left arm in front of her, showing her muscles. "Bring it!" she challenged.

"Let's go." Lyna said as her hairpin lit up.

Iris, Talia, Auriana, Lyna and Carissa stood as Magic Circles passed through them. They all walked forward, gaining their Princess Dresses the moment they went through. After summoning their weapons, they smiled and ran at the Twins into battle.

* * *

A couple days later, on the plane to Las Vegas, Iris was sleeping in her seat. The rest of the girls, with Lyna and Carissa, were with her. Talia was reading a book, Auriana watching a movie, Carissa rocking out to some music while Lyna slept as well.

 _In Iris's dreamscape, Iris walked through her Street in Sunny Bay. She looked to the side as the Royal Palace of Ephedia, without the barrier, appeared behind her House. She walked towards it, only to hear a voice as she entered_.

" _ **You are the heir to Ephedia, Iris, but know this. Even though I am gone, you will always have a piece of me within you. A piece of me**_ …" _the voice said before Krosynis appeared over another Iris in Shanila_. " _ **Krosynis, the Prince of Ephedia**_ _!_ "

Iris gasped and snapped out of her nap. She looked around, seeing if Krosynis was there. She sighed with relief when she saw he was nowhere to be found. However, as she went back to sleep, the face of Krosynis briefly appeared within her Pendant and cackled before disappearing.

* * *

A couple days later, after the fiasco in Las Vegas, Lyna and Carissa were moving into their new apartment. Carissa carried some bags over her shoulders while Lyna simply levitated them in.

"Those guys weren't kidding!" Carissa exclaimed as she looked out the window. "This view is great!"

"Nice of them to give us some money from their Concerts," Lyna mused as she looked out as well. She turned around to see a bunk bed. "I call top bunk!"

"No, _I_ call top bunk!" Carissa argued as she and Lyna walked over to the television. "We talked about this on the way here!"

"Crystal—"

Before Lyna could levitate Carissa, she knocked over a box. The two looked to see a disc with the LoliRock Girls on it before finding two microphones and a note. Carissa picked it up.

"'We can't stop you from using you-know-what on each other, but if you can sing a distraction…'" Carissa read as she and Lyna rolled their eyes at each other. "'Sing your differences away. Iris, Talia, and Auriana.'"

Carissa inserted the disc into the Television, and a list of songs from a LoliRock Karaoke appeared. She and Lyna looked to each other with competitive looks on their faces before selecting their song.

"Winner gets top bunk!" Lyna called.

* * *

 **Author's Notes** : Well, everyone, what did you think of my first **LoliRock** Movie? This took me months to get done, and I really like the end result. I hope you like it too, because this is the longest thing I have ever typed up! If you want me to make a sequel, let me know in your reviews, but make sure you have either positive reviews or constructive criticism only. I won't tolerate any negative reviews, or anything from **Doom Marine 54**. This is **SuperHeroTimeFan** signing off. Have a Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! See you all soon!


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